Rain Won't Play Spoilsport During Puja, Predicts Met Dept

Bhubaneswar: The Regional Meteorological Center predicted light to moderate rainfall in Odisha in the next five days.

Thunderstorm and lightning will occur in several parts of coastal and north Odisha including Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Khurda, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts in the next 24 hours.

Laxmikant Giri duty officer at Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said, "Though there aren't any indications of heavy rain during the Durga Puja, we cannot rule out possibility of some light rains during Mahasaptami and Mahashtami as the monsoon is still active in the state."

However, the Met department is hopeful that rain will not dampen Durga Puja festivities as the weather is mostly likely to remain dry.

According to Giri, the delay of monsoon withdrawal is mainly due to the cyclonic storm Hikka over Arabian sea. "Though it's already delayed, conditions are still favourable for monsoon withdrawal. Light to moderate rainfall will occur in coming days," he added.