Bhubaneswar: With a deep depression set to hit the coasts in 36 hours, heavy to extremely heavy rain is likely to batter several parts of Odisha over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
A well-marked low-pressure area over the west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a depression within the next 24 hours and a deep depression during the subsequent 24 hours.
Continuing to move west-north-westwards, it is likely to reach near north Andhra Pradesh – South Odisha coasts around morning of September 23, the weather agency said.
The weather system is expected to trigger heavy to extremely heavy rain across several parts of Odisha, with the IMD issuing red, orange and yellow warnings for different districts till the morning of September 27.
In a special bulletin, the IMD issued a yellow warning of heavy rainfall over the districts of Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghapur, Kataka, Dhenkanal, Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha, and Nayagada in next 24 hours.
On September 22-23, an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Baleshwar, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Kataka, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Nayagada. A Yellow Warning for heavy rainfall is also in force for several other districts.
A red warning has been issued for September 23-25 in parts of southern Odisha. On September 23-24, heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall at one or two places is likely in Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam.
Districts including Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri face a similar red warning for September 24-25.
The system is also expected to bring squally winds and rough to very rough seas. Winds along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts are likely to reach 55-65 kmph, gusting to 75 kmph, from the morning of September 23 through the evening of September 24. Rough to very rough sea conditions are likely along the Odisha, north Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal coasts during this period.
The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea in the affected areas during the period and asked those already at sea to return to the coast by the evening of September 21.
The weather agency has warned of possible waterlogging, localised flooding, landslides, disruption to road and rail traffic, damage to vulnerable structures, trees and power lines, besides possible disruption to marine and inland water transport.
