Rainfall in Odisha to continue as well-marked low pressure over Bay of Bengal intensifies into depression

The well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression, informed the Regional Meteorological Department in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. It is currently centered over the west-central Bay of Bengal, near the Andhra Pradesh coast, and under its influence rainfall is very likely to continue across most places of the state for at least the next 24 hours.

“Wind direction has changed to south-easterly and the winds are carrying a lot of moisture as a result of which there was a forecast of rain. In interior Odisha, light to medium rainfall is expected while heavy rainfall may also be witnessed in coastal areas,” said IMD Bhubaneswar Director Manorama Mohanty.

The Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rainfall alert for certain areas in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts. Similarly, light to moderate rainfall is also expected in several locations across Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal districts.

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After 24 hours, the rainfall situation is forecast to improve but cloudy skies and gusty winds are likely to prevail in coastal and southern Odisha.

The Meteorological Department has also indicated that there will be no significant change in temperature over the next two days.

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The IMD notification comes as many cities in Odisha, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, woke up to rain-soaked roads and intermittent light to moderate rainfall. The chill under the cold wave, however, has subsided as temperatures have risen very slightly in most places, in line with the IMD’s Wednesday forecast.