Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 4: The southwest monsoon has made a comeback in the state after a brief sabbatical, with the Met department here issuing a heavy rainfall warning for motorists planning to drive on National Highways 6, 43, 200, 201 and 215 in the next 24 hours.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Saturday traced a normal southwest monsoon over Orissa, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Rajasthan and East Madhya Pradesh.
“Heavy rainfall may occur at one or two places over interior Orissa during the next 48 hours while light rain or thundershower may occur at many places over the south and a few places over northern parts of the state during the next 24 hours,” stated a Met bulletin.
The Met office has recorded highest rainfall of 47.8 mm in Phulbani followed by 33.4 mm in Sonepur and 19.4 mm in Paradip. Other places including the capital city also witnessed light to moderate rainfall in the past 24 hours.
The western end of the monsoon trough at mean sea level passes close to the foothills of the Himalayas while the eastern end passes through Bahraich, Gorakhpur, Bhagalpur, Santiniketan and thence southeastward to northeast Bay of Bengal, the IMD monsoon watch stated.
Met sources said the heavy rainfall trend over one or two places of the state will continue till July 9 while it will intensify in the later period and spread to most parts of the state.
The weather over the capital city and adjoining areas may remain cloudy while light to moderate rain or thundershower could lash parts of the capital city in the next 24 hours.