Bhubaneswar: Northern Odisha districts adjoining West Bengal received heavy rainfall Saturday, with the IMD forecasting more downpour over the next couple of days.
Kusumi in Mayurbhanj district received the most rainfall at 136 mm, followed by Bhogorai and Jaleswar in Balasore at 104 mm and 67 mm, respectively, in the last 24 hours till 8.30am Saturday.
With the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal moving to Gangetic West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy to very heavy rain in several areas in neighbouring Odisha over the next two days.
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Light to moderate rainfall at most places is very likely with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in Odisha and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over north Odisha September 14, the Met department said in a bulletin.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is expected September 15 and heavy rainfall at isolated places September 16, it said.
A deep depression is a more intense stage of a low-pressure system and typically precedes the formation of a cyclonic storm, the IMD said.
The weather agency forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall of 7-20 cm and isolated extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm and thunderstorms with lightning in a few places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Balasore districts till 8.30 am Sunday.
The IMD also warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall of 7-20 cm and thunderstorms with lightning in a few places in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Angul and Dhenkanal districts.
It also warned of heavy rain of 7-11cm and thunderstorms with lightning at a few places in Deogarh, Sundargarh, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati and Nabarangpur districts during the period.
The IMD, in its bulletin issued at 3.30 pm Saturday, said the deep depression over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh was moving west-southwestwards at a speed of 18 kmph in the last six hours and laid at 20 km south-southwest of Kolkata (West Bengal), 170 km southeast of Bankura (West Bengal), 220 km east-southeast of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) and 320 km east-southeast of Ranchi (Jharkhand).
“It is likely to move nearly westwards across Gangetic West Bengal and maintain its intensity of deep depression. Thereafter, it will continue to move nearly westwards across Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh as a depression during the subsequent 48 hours,” it said.
Under its influence, Odisha is likely to experience a wet spell till September 16, it said, adding that flash floods or water logging may occur in low-lying areas, while some damage may be caused to kutcha roads and vulnerable kutcha houses.
People have been advised to avoid staying in vulnerable kutcha houses and follow advisory on traffic congestion before leaving for destinations, the IMD said.
As the sea conditions will remain rough, the IMD advised fishermen not to venture into north Bay of Bengal and along and off Odisha coasts till the morning of September 16.
PTI