Bhubaneswar, June 4: Pre-monsoon showers lashed several areas of the state, including Bhubaneswar, for the second consecutive day today with the weatherman predicting the arrival of monsoon by the second week of the month.

Regional Met centre director Sarat Chandra Sahu said the monsoon was likely to reach the Kerala coast in the next couple of days. "The prevailing weather condition is favourable for the monsoon to reach Odisha coast. There would be pre-monsoon rain in coastal and south Odisha in the next 24 hours. The temperature will remain below 40°C in most parts of the state," said Sahu.

Bhubaneswar received 8.2mm rain today, while Dhenkanal received 48mm, Cuttack received 22.4mm, and Koraput received 8mm rain.

Waterlogging at several places of Bhubaneswar due to yesterday's rain, including Capital Hospital, forced the housing and urban development department to hold a preparatory meeting today with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhuban- eswar Development Authority and drainage division.