Extremely Heavy Rain Forecast For Odisha Today; Orange Alert For Puri, Khurda & 13 Other Districts

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall at some places under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal, which may intensify into a low pressure area during next 12 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Thursday.

The weather agency has issued orange warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) for one or two places in Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri till 8.30 am on Friday.

There is also possibility of extremely heavy rainfall (> 20 cm) at one or two places in Boudh, Kandhamal and Kalahandi.

Yellow warning  of heavy Rainfall (7 to 11cm) has also been sounded for one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack, Kendrapada, Gajapati, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, Bargarh, Rayagada, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh.

Thunderstorm with lightning may also occur in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Angul, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Kandhamal and Boudh.

The intensity of rain is likely to decrease steadily thereafter.

On August 18, heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) is likely at one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Balangir and Nuapada. Heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) may also occur at one or two places in Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh.

The IMD has warned of temporary water logging in low-lying areas, poor visibility during intense spells of rain and traffic congestion in urban areas. There is also a possibility of wall collapse of vulnerable kutcha houses and some damages of kutcha road. Landslides are also likely in vulnerable hilly areas in Malkangiri, Koraput, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts.

There is heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) forecast for one or two places in Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh during the subsequent 24 hours (August 19), it said, with no further warning thereafter.