Keonjhar, Mar 23: Several parts of Odisha witnessed severe thunderstorms and rainfall due to Kalbaisakhi. After Mayurbhanj, the seasonal Nor’wester swept some parts of Keonjhar district.

With rainfall, the Kalbaisakhi storm has caused widespread destruction in the villages of Baria, Raikala, and Balijodi in Kantipal panchayat under Anandapur block.

The impact of the storm has resulted in the breaking of electric poles and some houses were partially damaged.

Worth mentioning, the state capital of Bhubaneswar, along with several interior districts like Koraput and Sundargarh, received much-needed respite from a severe heatwave.

On the other hand, the Meteorological Department has issued warnings for thunderstorms and strong winds for 30 districts of the state today.

An orange warning is active for 12 districts, signifying the possibility of intense weather conditions while a yellow warning is in place for another 18 districts, indicating a need for vigilance.

Kalbaisakhi, or Nor’wester, is a violent pre-monsoon thunderstorm occurring between March and May, primarily in Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Assam. It features sudden strong winds, heavy rain, lightning, and hailstorms, causing significant damage. These storms are triggered by intense land heating during summer, leading to atmospheric instability and powerful cumulonimbus cloud formation.

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