Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, June 20: As a dampener to the grand celebration of International Yoga Day Sunday, the Meteorological Centre here has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places in the next 48 hours.
The weather officials have detected a well-marked low pressure over the Bay of Bengal which has turned into a depression and may cross Puri and Gopalpur in the small hours of Sunday.
“Latest satellite imagery indicates that the well-marked low pressure area over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Orissa coast has concentrated into a depression Saturday. The system would move northwestward and cross Orissa coast between Gopalpur and Puri by Sunday morning,” stated a Met bulletin.
Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu told Orissa POST they have traced the system at a distance of 159 km from Puri at 5.30pm Saturday.
“We have issued local cautionary signal number three at all the ports of Orissa, but there is no need to panic as the system would weaken soon after landfall, but it will trigger a wind speed reaching up to 65kmph off Orissa coast,” said Sahu
“We have advised fishermen not to venture into the sea due to very rough sea condition. Heavy rain will lash parts of south Orissa and north Orissa during the next 24 hours. Although, the southwest monsoon has remained stagnant Saturday, it has almost touched 22 districts of the state and may affect rainfall activity,” said the director.
Meanwhile, the Met centre has recorded very heavy rainfall of 322 mm rain in Malkangiri district followed by 93.2 mm in Gopalpur, 50 mm in Balasore, 43.7 mm in Cuttack and 42.6 mm in Baripada in the past 24 hours.
The Capital city, however, received 17.6 mm rainfall during the corresponding period.
The weatherman has further predicted that the rainfall activity will continue over southern and northern parts of the state till June 24. The overcast sky condition will remain unchanged over the Capital city and its neighbourhood. Rain or thundershowers may occur over the city Sunday, the source added.
