By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 12, 2022: Unseasonal rains, triggered by a cyclonic circulation, lashed Odisha on Wednesday with the weather office predicting more showers till Thursday.

The rains at the peak of the harvest season affected the farmers amid fears of price rise among the people.

The rainfall, caused by western disturbances, was reported from 26 of the state’s 30 districts.

Only Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Malkangiri did not receive any rainfall, the weather office said.

The highest 154 mm of rainfall was recorded at Kalinga in Kandhamal district. G Udaygiri, also in Kandhamal, recorded 72.4 mm rainfall, followed by Salebhata (70.4 mm) in Bolangir, Jharigaon (65 mm) in Nabarangpur and Tikabali (57 mm), also in Kandhamal.

Bhubaneswar and Cuttack received 6.6 mm and 2 mm rainfall, respectively.

Over the next 24 hours, thunderstorms with lightning is very likely in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Khordha, Puri, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Kandhamal, the weather office said.

Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena directed the district collectors to closely monitor the emerging situation.