Bhubaneswar, June 21: The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into Odisha and covered as many as 24 districts, the regional centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar informed on Friday.

In its X account, the Meteorological Centre said, " Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Odisha and covered 24 districts namely: Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Nayagarh, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Balangir, Boudh, Sonepur, Bargarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Khordha, Cuttack, Jgatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Deogarh, more parts of four districts; Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Balasore and some parts of the districts Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj. "

The Southwest Monsoon set in over Odisha on June 8 and covered parts of Malkangiri district.

Notably, the Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1st June. It advances northwards, usually in surges, and covers the entire country around 15th July.

Meanwhile, the IMD forecast that thunderstorms with lightning accompanied by gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph are likely to occur at isolated places over the districts of Kalahandi, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh,Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati during the next 24 hours.

The weathermen also predicted that heavy to very heavy rainfall very is likely to occur at isolated places over the districts of Rayagada, Kandhamal and heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Gajapati, Khurda, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Ganjam during the next 24 hours. 

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