Bhubaneswar: The regional meteorological centre here has issued a thunderstorm warning with rain for the coastal belt, including Bhubaneswar, that will be accompanied by hail and gusty surface wind.

The Met has also said predicted that the squall, which has gripped Bhubaneswar for the past week, will intensify in the coming days. During this period, wind speeds will reach up to 60km per hour, which will have a capacity to uproot small trees and old and dilapidated electric poles.

"The squall, accompanied by hail storm and gusty surface wind, will occur across the coastal belt besides the southern districts of the state over the next one week. The weather will most extreme in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts," said Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu.

Sahu, however, hinted at a relief from the ongoing weather condition from April 15.

"This weather situation will continue for most parts of the state till mid-April. There are indications that it would stop after that and will be accompanied by a steady rise in mercury levels," said the director.

The weather condition in Bhubaneswar at present is squally with tree guards at various city medians falling and creating a risk for commuters.

"I was on my way home last night when a falling tree narrowly missed me. I did suffer minor injuries," said Chinmay Hota, a resident of Gothapatna.

Nayapalli resident Akankshya Mishra, however, said the weather was quite pleasant now.

"After a long time, I am witnessing such high speed winds in the city. There was continuous lightning strikes last night that I liked. I was out of home to witness the weather," said Mishra, a student.

The squally weather and light rain accompanying it has further brought down the temperature here. The maximum temperature in the city on Saturday slid down to 36.4°C compared to 38.4°C on March 28.

The minimum temperature also went down to a low of 23°C on Saturday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, thundershower occurred at most places in India on Friday such as Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, parts of Chhattisgarh and the Gangetic plains of Bengal.

The Met department also observed that the minimum and the maximum temperature remained below normal than average.