Bhubaneswar: Several districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall or witness thunderstorm with lightning and gusty surface wind till May 30, the IMD forecast on Saturday. Such rainfall is expected under the influence of a cyclonic circulation persisting over north coastal Odisha and its neighbourhood, and again due to a low-pressure area expected around May 27, the IMD report said. On Sunday, the IMD forecast said light to moderate rain or thundershower would continue at many places over the south and a few places over north Odisha.Light to moderate rain or thunderstorm continued at several places during the day and in the last 24 hours in the state. On the other hand, southwest monsoon hit Kerala coast on Saturday, eight days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1, the IMD said.Manorama Mohanty, head of the regional IMD centre here, said rainfall would continue in the state under the influence of a cyclonic circulation and a possible low-pressure area.

She said though the monsoon hit Kerala, there was no forecast on its possible arrival in Odisha. Koraput recorded the highest 45 mm of rainfall on Saturday followed by 37.1 mm in Bhubaneswar till 6:30 pm, the IMD report said. Similarly, Patrapur in Ganjam district recorded the highest 120 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, the IMD's morning rainfall report said. Rainfall continued at several places, influencing a drop in day temperature across the state. Bhawanipatna, at 38 degrees Celsius, recorded the highest temperature.An IMD bulletin said the maximum temperature was below normal by 5-9C at many places in the state. It said there would also be no possibility of any major change in the day temperature for the next five to six days.