Rain To Batter 18 Odisha Districts: IMD

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday predicted heavy rainfall under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over the North Bay of Bengal, which is likely to concentrate into a low pressure during the next 24 hours.

In a morning release, the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, has sounded heavy rainfall and thundershower warning for 18 districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Kandhamal and advised the people to stay indoors till 2 pm.

The release further added that there would be isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over the districts of Sambalpur, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Mayurbhanj and Bargarh districts on Thursday.

Fishermen, who have gone for deep sea fishing, have been advised to return to coast by Wednesday evening and not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast and north-west Bay of Bengal till Friday morning.

There has been incessant rainfall in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar since early on Wednesday morning.