Thunderstorm, hail in most parts of Odisha in next 24 hours

Bhubaneswar: Thunderstorm accompanied by hail and rain is likely in most parts of the State in next 24 hours, predicted the Regional Meteorological Centre on Thursday.

Gusty surface wind speed will reach 45 km/hr to 65 km/hr during these hours, the forecast added.

As high tides are expected, fishermen in the state have been advised not to venture into sea.

"Nor'wester rains will mostly occur in afternoon or late evenings," stated Sarat Chandra Sahu, director of Regional Meteorological Centre adding that the southern parts will get more showers as compared to the north from May 25.

Maximum temperature will remain below 42 degrees Celsius in interior parts of the State whereas day temperature in coastal Odisha will hardly reach 40 degrees Celsius, Sahu added.

On Wednesday morning, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms lashed most parts of the state including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar affecting traffic, rail and air services.

The met department said that the rainfall was caused due to formation of a cloud mass near the Odisha-West Bengal border that was gradually moving southwards.