Bhubaneswar: Bringing respite to a scathing summer, southwest monsoon finally hit Odisha coast today, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Meteorological Centre.

He stated that within the next 72 hours, the entire state will experience rainfall. Monsoon will lash the southern part of the state in the first 12 hours and spread to the rest of the parts of Odisha, subsequently.

He further predicted that southern districts such as Boudh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, etc. will witness rainfall today.

"We shall regularly issue weather forecast reports for farmers and alert districts of the impending rainfall for five days for the benefit of the public. So far, we are expecting a normal monsoon," he said.