Bhubaneswar, July 26 (IANS) Heavy rainfall continued to batter several parts of Odisha as the low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression, said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday.
According to the IMD, Bhubaneswar, the well-marked low-pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of North Odisha-West Bengal coasts intensified into a Depression on Sunday morning. The system is centred over the northwest Bay of Bengal, around 170 km east of Chandbali and 180 km east-southeast of Balasore in Odisha at 8.30 a.m.
“It is very likely to move northwestwards, intensify further into a deep depression during the next 24 hours and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around forenoon/noon of 27th July 2026,” the IMD predicted.
The weather agency also issued a red warning to several districts of Odisha, cautioning about heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places. The agency predicted that one or two places in Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghapur, Kataka, Anugola, and Dhenkanal districts are very likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall till Monday morning.
Similarly, the IMD also warned of very heavy rainfall to extremely heavy rainfall at some places in Sundargarh, Kendujhar, and Mayurbhanj districts of the state for the next 48 hours. The IMD has also warned of very heavy rainfall in several other districts of the state over the next five to seven days.
The agency warned that heavy rainfall is likely to cause localised flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas, temporary closure of underpasses, particularly in urban areas, as well as flooding in some river basins.
It is worth noting that many families residing in low-lying areas of the state have reportedly been stranded due to the incessant rainfall triggered by the low-pressure system over the past couple of days. The continuous rainfall has also damaged crops, bringing considerable distress to the farmers in the state.
–IANS
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