Ten individuals lost their lives due to lightning strikes in six districts of Odisha, which experienced heavy rainfall on Saturday, according to an official statement. The casualties included four in Khurda district, two in Bolangir, and one each in Angul, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur, and Dhenkanal, as reported by the special relief commissioner’s office. In addition, three individuals in Khurda sustained injuries from lightning strikes. The coastal region, encompassing Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, witnessed substantial rainfall and lightning activity.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a similar weather situation in various parts of the state over the next four days. A cyclonic circulation has triggered the monsoon, resulting in widespread heavy rainfall across Odisha. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the twin cities, experienced 126 mm and 95.8 mm of rainfall, respectively, within a 90-minute period in the afternoon. Lightning activity was significant, with 36,597 cloud-to-cloud (CC) lightning and 25,753 cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning recorded in the state during the afternoon, as reported by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
The Meteorological Department has advised people to seek shelter in safe locations during thunderstorm activity. Additionally, cyclonic circulations over the northeast Bay of Bengal and the potential formation of another over the northern Bay of Bengal around September 3 are expected to influence weather conditions. This is likely to lead to the southwest monsoon, which had been subdued in Odisha, causing heavy rainfall over the next three to four days, according to H R Biswas, the director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in the area.
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