Intense rain with lightning pounds Bhubaneswar, IMD issues orange warning for 20 dists

Bhubaneswar: Intense rain coupled with thunderstorm and lighting lashed Bhubaneswar and Cuttack areas as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a nowcast warning for 20 districts of Odisha on Saturday.

Normal life was thrown out of gear in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and nearby areas following heavy downpour, thunderstorm and back-to-back lightning strikes in the afternoon.

The IMD issued an orange warning of light to moderate rain, thunderstorm and lighting for several districts including Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Balangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Khurda (including Bhubaneswar city) and Cuttack (including Cuttack city) during next three hours.

Yellow alert was issued for rain, thunderstorm and lighting for Malkangiri, Koraput, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Puri, Jagatsinghpur during next three hours.

People have been advised to keep a watch on the situation and move to safe places to protect from lighting strike.