The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rainfall across Odisha on Friday.
In its mid-day bulletin, the IMD's Bhubaneswar Centre forecast heavy rainfall in Mayurbhanj district during the day and issued a "red warning" (take action) for the district.
In view of the warning, the Mayurbhanj district administration asked all schools to close the institutions for the day after recess and completion of mid-day meal distribution.
An "orange warning" (be prepared to take action) has been issued for 19 districts -- Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Sundergarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, and Jajpur -- for the day.
Further, the remaining 10 districts of Odisha -- Kendrapara, Jagatsinghapur, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh -- were put under "yellow warning" (be aware).
The IMD said that a thunderstorm, accompanied by lightning and gusty surface wind of speed up to 30-40 kmph, is expected to occur in the state on Friday.
Similar weather conditions would prevail in the state till Sunday, it said.
As the sea conditions would be very rough, the weather office advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast on August 7 and 8.
During the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday, the highest of 131 mm of rainfall was recorded at Narla in Kalahandi district, while Madanpur-Rampur received 117 mm rainfall.
Other places that have recorded above 100 mm rainfall are Belgaon in Bolangir district (115 mm), Athgarh in Cuttack district (112 mm), Mahanga in Cuttack (104 mm) and Salebhatta in Bolangir (103.4 mm).
