The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert for six districts in Odisha, warning of extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall under the influence of a low-pressure system forming over the northwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining West Bengal coastline.
Alongside downpours, the weather office has raised concerns over potential landslides and flash floods in vulnerable, low-lying regions.
“A low-pressure area has formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal-North Odisha coasts and now lies over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal coast”, said Manorama Mohanty, Director of IMD, Bhubaneswar.
“Under its influence, the IMD has issued Red, Orange and Yellow alerts for Odisha, forecasting extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas, along with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph during the next 24 hours”, she said.
The red alert for extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, and Keonjhar districts, while heavy showers are anticipated across remaining parts of the state. Extremely heavy rain may trigger landslides in hilly areas and flash floods in low-lying regions.
In view of the rough sea conditions, authorities have instructed fishermen to avoid venturing into the deep sea or coastal areas, with Local Alert-Cautionary Signal (LAC-III) hoisted across all state ports.
Earlier on July 26, an intense severe thunderstorm accompanied by heavy downpours and squally winds swept through Bhubaneswar during the afternoon hours, interrupting routine movement while providing relief from intense summer temperatures.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a state-wide warning predicting isolated heavy rainfall, severe lightning, and squally winds for coastal and inland belts.
As per weather advisory details, Bhubaneswar and surrounding areas recorded intense thunderstorm activity with surface wind speeds gusting up to 50 km per hour.
Though temporary waterlogging slowed traffic and disrupted daily routines across parts of the city, the sudden shift brought cool breezes and rain-cleansed streets, offering a brief respite to residents.
