Bhubaneswar: Heavy rain lashed Odisha for the last 24 hours as the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has become “well marked”, the IMD said Thursday.
The IMD has issued a ‘red warning’ (take action) of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Odisha.
The national weather agency in its morning message said, “The well-marked low-pressure area over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh-West Bengal coast moved northwestwards. It is likely to continue to move northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal towards Jharkhand and may concentrate into a depression during the next 12 hours.”
A depression is a weather system stronger than a low-pressure area but less intense than a tropical cyclone.
While issuing the ‘red warning’ (take action) of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Odisha on Thursday, the IMD said that Gangetic West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand would also be impacted by the ongoing wet spell caused by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal.
Keeping in view the weather conditions, the IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the North Bay of Bengal and along the Odisha-West Bengal-Bangladesh coast till August 14.
According to the Meteorological Centre (MC), Bhubaneswar, the highest rainfall of 236 mm has been recorded at Bhograi in Balasore district, followed by 230 mm at Shyamakhuntam 215 mm at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district and 204 mm at Rajghat in Balasore district.
Balasore town recorded the highest rainfall of 137 mm by 5.30 am of Thursday morning, while reports of very heavy rains were received from Similipal Hills in Mayurbhanj. The very heavy rains in Mayurbhanj led to a rise in the water levels of rivers such as Budhabalanga and Jalaka in Balasore district. A large part of Balasore town has been encountering waterlogging, an official said.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the heavy rainfall since last night, the authorities declared the closure of all educational institutions in Mayurbhanj district Thursday.
A district administration notification said that all headmasters, headmistresses, principals, and teachers should attend their respective schools as usual to disseminate information about the closure to all students and their parents/guardians through available communication channels, including class WhatsApp groups, phone calls, and SMS.
The Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar said that under the impact of the low pressure, wind speeds along the Odisha coast could reach 30 to 40 kmph. Residents are advised to remain alert during thunderstorms and lightning and follow weather advisories issued by the authorities.