Bhubaneswar: Odisha is likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall with the likely formation of the cyclonic storm over southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal by October 27 morning.
“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,” the India Meteorological Department said in a special bulletin.
IMPACT ON OIDISHA
The weather agency has issued an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rain for Kendrapada, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput districts on October 27-29.
The state is likely to experience thunderstorm activity with gusty wind (30-40 kmph) for three days. Yellow warning has been issued for the districts of Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Gajapati on October 24; Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur on October 25; and Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Boudh on October 26.
The intensity of rain is likely to increase in the subsequent three days.
October 27
Orange warning: Heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may occur at one or two places in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, and Rayagada.
Yellow warning: Heavy rain along with thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is also likely in Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nawarangpur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi and Kandhamal. There is also a warning for thunderstorm along with lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sonepur districts.
October 28
Orange warning: Heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may occur at one or two places in Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts.
Yellow warning: Heavy rain along with thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is also likely in Kandhamal, Boudh, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj , Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur.. Thunderstorm along with lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may continue in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Sonepur.
October 29
Orange warning: Heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning may occur at one or two places in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur.
Yellow warning: Heavy rain along with thunderstorm/lightning is also likely in the districts of Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Cuttack.
Wind Warning
Squally weather with wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph may prevail along & off Odisha coast from October 26. It is likely to increase to 45- 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph from October 27 and 50- 60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph from October 28 till October 29.
Sea condition is likely to be moderate to rough over along & off Odisha coast from October 26, become rough to very rough on October 27and very rough to high from from October 28 till October 29. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along & off Odisha coast from October 26 onwards.
Know what other forecasters have to say
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.
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.
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.