Bhubaneswar: Low pressure-induced heavy rain is likely to lash Odisha till September 22, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Wednesday. “A low pressure area lies over Northwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining West Bengal-north Odisha coasts. It is likely to move northwestwards across Jharkhand during next 2 days,” it said.
According to the midday bulletin, heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) is likely at one or two places in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Boudh, Balangir, Sonepur, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, and Keonjhar till 8.30 am on Thursday. Yellow warning of heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) has also been issued for one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Puri, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nuapada.
On September 21, heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) may occur at one or two places in Nuapada, Bargarh, Balangir, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Deogarh districts. Heavy rain is also likely at one or two places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Boudh, Sonepur, and Angul.
The MeT office has also warned of waterlogging in low-lying areas and underpasses, inundation of agriculture field, some damage to kutcha roads and houses, landslides/mudslides in vulnerable hilly areas and occasional reduction of visibility, leading to traffic jams, in urban areas during intense spells of rain, which may also lead to the rise in the water level of rivers in the state.
The intensity of rain is likely to slightly decrease thereafter. The MeT office has issued yellow warning of heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) for one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda, during the subsequent 24 hours (September 22). While there is no heavy rain warning in the following day, light to moderate rain will continue at a few places across the state.
Notably, Odisha has recorded 258 mm rainfall in the last 20 days, which 48% more than the normal of 176.7 mm, and against the September monthly average of 235.7 mm. In the last 24 hours, the state has received an average rainfall of 21.6 mm with the highest of 168 mm recorded in Koraput block of Koraput district.
This has helped bridge the rain shortfall this monsoon season with the state recording 1041.3 mm rainfall between June 1 and September 20 against the normal of 1091.1 mm. While two districts have received excess rain and 25 are in normal category, only three have recorded a shortfall.