Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a nowcast warning for six districts of Odisha, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Kataka, till around 6 pm on Wednesday.
Light rain along with thunderstorm may occur in the districts of Nayagada, Khordha, Kataka, Baleshwar, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj during this period. People have been advised to keep a watch on the weather and plan accordingly for their safety.
Rainfall activity has been continuing in the state under influence the deep depression, which has now moved over central parts of Chhattisgarh & adjoining north interior Odisha. The IMD, in a special bulletin, warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Koraput on July 29. Heavy rainfall may also occur at one or two places in Malkangiri, Rayagada, Balangir, Baragada, Sonpur, Boudh, and Kandhamala.
Squally winds with speed reaching 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph may prevail over Northwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining Odisha-West Bengal coasts till evening of July 29 and gradually decrease thereafter. Squally winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph may also persist over North Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas of interior Odisha till morning of July 30.
Notably, incessant rains have triggered widespread flooding across northern and western Odisha, affecting over 2 lakh people. Keonjhar district has been hit hardest, reporting three fatalities: an elderly man killed in a wall collapse, a child who drowned, and a fire service officer electrocuted while on rescue duty, according to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari.
A total of 44 blocks, 233 gram panchayats and 748 villages in Balasore, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur districts have been affected as of 9 am on Tuesday.
Incessant rains have been attributed to very slow movement of the system. In a post on X, meteorologist Umasankar Das said that a low-pressure system formed over the Northwest Bay of Bengal on July 25 and intensified into a depression by July 26. However, four days later, having traveled less than 500 km, the system remained near Jharsuguda. “….This has bring huge amount of downpour leading to flooding conditions across the state,” he added.
