Depression over Odisha coast to weaken gradually, predicts IMD

New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): The depression over the Odisha coast near Chilika Lake on Saturday remained practically stationary during the past three hours and lay centered at 08:30 am over the same region at latitude 19.6°N and longitude 85.4°E, about 40 km south-southwest of Puri and 70 km East-Northeast of Gopalpur, said the India Meteorological Department.

It is likely to move further northwestwards across Odisha & Chhattisgarh and weaken gradually into a well-marked low-pressure area during the next 12 hours, IMD stated further.

As per the forecast issued by IMD on Friday, several parts of Odisha will continue to experience heavy rainfall activities under the influence of the system.

Under the impact of the depression, heavy rainfall has been predicted in many places in Odisha for four days since Thursday.

From June 1 to 18, the state recorded a cumulative rainfall of 288.3 mm against the normal 394.1 mm, the IMD said.

During the period, 13 districts of the state received normal rainfall, while the rest 17 remained deficient. The southwest monsoon has been active over a large geographical area of India, with at least 80 per cent of the country last week reporting widespread rainfall, with heavy to very heavy spells lashing Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka, Kerala, and Lakshadweep.

After remaining subdued during mid-June, the southwest monsoon received the much-required impetus towards the end of June. The monsoon covered the entire country on July 2, six days ahead of its normal schedule. Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir received the spell in early July.

The Met Department’s rainfall statistics indicate that the all-India rainfall went from 242 mm on July 9 to 305.8 mm on July 17. The country’s rainfall stands at 97 per cent of the normal for this time of the year.