IMD issues red alert for heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha on September 15

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 14 (ANI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha on September 15, effective until 8:30 am.

Director of IMD Bhubaneswar, Manorama Mohanty, on Saturday said, “Yesterday’s depression has intensified into a deep depression and is currently located over Bangladesh and adjoining areas of Gangetic West Bengal. It is likely to move west-northwestwards and maintain its intensity today before weakening over the next 48 hours. The state is expected to receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next two days. In the next 24 hours, light to moderate rainfall is expected across most districts in North and South Odisha. Isolated instances of extremely heavy rainfall are expected in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Balasore districts. Fishermen are advised to avoid entering the sea until September 16.”

She further added that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in isolated places in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Angul, and Dhenkanal districts.

“Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely in Deogarh, Sundargarh, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Nawarangpur districts. On the 15th, light to moderate rainfall is very likely in most areas of North Odisha and many parts of South Odisha. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in isolated places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, and Sambalpur districts, with isolated heavy rainfall likely in Bargarh, Sonepur, Mayurbhanj, Angul, and Deogarh districts.”

She also mentioned that rainfall activity is likely to decrease significantly from September 16.

“Light to moderate rainfall is expected in many districts of interior Odisha and a few coastal districts, with isolated heavy rainfall in Sundargarh. After that, rainfall activity is likely to decrease,” she added.

The IMD press release stated that the deep depression over Bangladesh and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 28 km/h over the past six hours. As of 08:30 IST on September 14, it was centred over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh near latitude 22.9° N and longitude 88.6° E, about 50 km northeast of Kolkata (West Bengal), 160 km east-southeast of Bankura (West Bengal), 250 km east of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), and 340 km east of Ranchi (Jharkhand).

The IMD further noted that the system is likely to continue moving west-northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal, maintaining its intensity as a deep depression today. It is expected to weaken into a depression as it moves across Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh over the next 48 hours.

The deep depression is being continuously monitored by the Doppler Weather Radar in Kolkata.