Red Alert Continues In Odisha; Strong Winds To Sweep North Coastal & 5 Other Dists

Bhubaneswar: Extremely heavy rain may continue to lash some places in Odisha till Thursday morning under the influence of the deep depression over Gangetic West Bengal, which is likely to move west-northwestwards across Jharkhand and weaken gradually into a depression during next 12 hours and into a well-marked low pressure area in the subsequent 24 hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded red warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) at a few places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balangir, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, and Boudh with isolated extremely heavy rainfalls (>20cm) in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balangir, Sonepur, and Sambalpur till 8.30 am on Thursday.

Orange warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) has also been issued for one or two places in Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Kandhamal. Heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) may also occur at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Nabarangpur and Jajpur.

The weather agency has warned of flash flood/waterlogging in low-lying areas, inundation of agriculture field, mudslides/landslides in vulnerable hilly areas, some damage to kutcha road and houses and waterlogging in underpass road and occasional reduction of visibility causing traffic congestion in urban areas. It may lead to significant rise in water level of rivers, it added.

WIND WARNING

Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is likely to prevail over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh-West Bengal coasts till Wednesday afternoon. Wind speed of 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 is likely for subsequent 6 hours and thereafter it will further decrease gradually. Along and off the Odisha coast, squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is very likely to prevail and gradually decrease to 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 during the subsequent 12 hours.

Strong surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is also likely in north coastal Odisha and Mayurbhanj, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Sundargarh during the day.

SEA CONDITION

Rough to very rough sea condition may prevail over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh-West Bengal-North Odisha coasts till forenoon of Wednesday with moderate to rough sea conditions thereafter for subsequent 12 hours. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into sea along and off Odisha Coast and Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours.

PORT WARNING

Local Cautionary Signal No-3 (LC-3) hoisted at all ports of Odisha.

The intensity of rain is likely to decrease thereafter with heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) forecast for one or two places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, and Bargarh on Thursday. Light to moderate rain or thundershower is also likely at many places in Interior Odisha and at a few places in coastal districts of the state on this day.

There is no more rain warning for the state from August 3 but light to moderate rain or thundershower will continue at a few places across the state for two days, the IMD added.