The India Meteorological Department on Saturday said that a fresh low-pressure area has developed over the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to bring heavy rainfall across Odisha till September 4.
An official said that the state government has initiated measures to handle potential inundation and waterlogging, particularly across northern and coastal districts.
In its latest bulletin, the IMD stated, “Under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts, a low-pressure area has formed over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-north Odisha coasts at 5.30 am.”
The weather department noted that the system is likely to trigger heavy rainfall across northern, interior, and coastal areas of the state, it said.
The fresh rainfall threat comes while Odisha continues to recover from a second wave of flooding, which has currently affected over 67,000 people in three districts, the official added.
The development follows earlier alerts issued by the IMD forecasting heavy to very heavy downpours in various parts of the state between August 20 and September 4.
For Saturday, IMD issued heavy rain warnings for one or two places in the flood-hit districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Kendrapara, and Mayurbhanj, as well as Jajpur, Cuttack, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Baragarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Puri, and Nayagarh.
“As squally weather with wind speeds reaching 40-50 kmph occasionally gusting to 60 kmph is very likely to prevail along and off the Odisha coast till August 31, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea during the period,” the IMD bulletin said.
