Bhubaneswar: With the possible concentration of the low pressure into a depression over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts by Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a red warning for two districts of Odisha.
Speaking to a local channel, IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that red warning has been sounded for Odisha and heavy rainfall is likely to lash the state on August 19-20. North and West Odisha are likely to be affected. “Upcoming rains may further deteriorate the flood situation in the state,” he added.
According to the midday bulletin, heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) is likely at isolated places in Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Puri till 8.30 am on Friday. In the subsequent 24, a few places in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) with isolated extremely heavy falls (>20cm) with the system moving in the west-northwestward direction across Gangetic West Bengal, North Odisha, Jharkhand and North Chhattisgarh.
Orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) has been issued for a few places in Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Jajpur, Balasore, and Bhadrak during this period. Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Khurda and Puri are also likely to experience heavy rainfall, the Met office said.
Orange warning continues for the next 24 hours with heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) prediction for one or two places in Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur and Balangir. Heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) is also likely to occur at isolated places in Mayurbhanj, Angul, Boudh, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Nabarangpur and Dhenkanal, it added.
“Squally surface wind speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph gusting 60kmph is very likely over Northeast Bay of Bengal on August 18, and squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph very likely over along and off Odisha coast and North Bay of Bengal on August 19-20,” it said, adding that fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea during this period.
