Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said heavy rain would lash several places across Odisha till June 24. According to the mid-day bulletin issued by the IMD, a well-marked low pressure area, formed over Gangetic West Bengal and its neighbourhood, is likely to move slowly towards Jharkhand.

Under its impact, heavy to very heavy, and at places extremely heavy, rainfall along with thunderstorms and lightning, is expected to occur in parts of Odisha between June 18 and 24.

The weather office has issued heavy rainfall warning for 14 out of 30 districts of Odisha till Thursday morning. Forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall, the IMD has issued Red Warning (take action) for Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts while Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul and Balasore districts have been put under Orange Warning (be prepared to take action) for the day.

Similarly, a Yellow Warning (be aware) has been issued for Bargarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. Thunderstorm with lightning with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is expected to occur in the districts of Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, the IMD said.

Similar weather conditions would continue in several districts of Odisha till June 25, it said. The weather office advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast on June 18 and 19.

The IMD has issued an advisory for the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda, asking people to be ready to move to safer places as the weather conditions may worsen.

The ports and naval bases along the east coast of India have been advised to take precautions while it suggested restriction of tourism activities. The weather office said localised landslides and land sinks are expected to occur under the impact of the heavy rainfall. Strong wind and rain can damage plantations, kutcha houses, huts, roads, horticulture and standing crops, and power and communication lines, it said.