It appears that the heavens unleashed their fury upon Odisha. In a mere two-hour span, the skies above Bhubaneswar, Odisha, bore witness to a staggering 61,000 lightning strikes. This occurrence has left the populace in profound astonishment.
Lightning Strikes Claim 12 Lives in Odisha, Leaving 14 Injured; Over 61,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across the State in Two Hours.Tragically, in this incident, 8 animals also lost their lives. It has been reported that the highest number of lightning strikes occurred in the capital city of Bhubaneswar.Compensation of Four Lakhs Announced for Lightning Strike Victims; Inclement Weather Prevails in Odisha.
An extreme weather warning has been issued in the state till September 7 by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Till then this situation will continue.
According to the information, the active cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal is likely to turn into a low pressure area in the next 48 hours and under its influence, widespread rain is likely to occur over Odisha. According to IMD, the intensity of rain is likely to increase towards the end of the week. IMD has said that ‘yellow alert has been issued for heavy rains in most of the districts till 7th September.
According to the special relief commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu, one person each from Angul, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri, as well as two from Balangir and four from Khurda district perished in lightning strikes. The SRC said, “In addition, eight cattle were also killed as lightning struck Gajapati and Kandhamal districts.”
How Lightning Strikes Occur
Weather scientists have explained that such unusual and intense lightning strikes typically occur when the monsoon returns to normalcy after an extended period. They mentioned that the collision of cold and warm air masses creates the right conditions for such unprecedented lightning events. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted heavy rainfall in parts of northern Odisha in the next 48 hours until Monday.
