Bhubaneswar: The low-pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal may intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 27, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Friday.
“The low-pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal slowly moved west-northwestwards during the past 3 hours and lay over the same region at 8.30 am. It is likely to move west-northwestwards, intensify into a depression over southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal by October 25 and further into a deep depression by October 26 and into a cyclonic storm over southwest & adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal by October 27 morning,” it said.
According to meteorologist Biswajit Sahoo, the weather system may intensify into a severe depression or a small-scale cyclone and cross coasts near central Andhra Pradesh or northern Andhra Pradesh. “It is unlikely to have any direct impact on Odisha, which may experience heavy rain from October 27-29,” he added.
Sarat Chandra Sahu, director of CEC of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, said that the Bay of Bengal may see a marginal cyclone under the influence of the system if conditions are favourable. “The system will initially move in west-northwestwards and then in northwestwards direction because of which Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Balangir, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Sonepur in Odisha may experience rain,” he said.
Some places in interior Odisha may experience rain on October 25 under the influence of the previous system. “The intensity of rain is likely to increase in southern pockets of the state from October 27 night or October 28 morning. The impact of the system will then be felt in interior and western Odisha districts,” he added.
Odisha has a history of being battered by cyclones emerging from the Bay of Bengal in the month of October. The super cyclone of 1999 had hit the state on October 29, leaving behind an unprecedented trail of devastation. Phalini (2013), Hudhud (2014), Titli (2018) and Severe Cyclone Dana (2024) also occurred in October while Fani, a May cyclone, tore through Puri in 2019.