Depression over Bay of Bengal to bring heavy rains, IMD issues red alert for several Odisha districts

Bhubaneswar, July 25: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that the well-marked low-pressure area over the north Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The system is currently located around 130 km south of Mongla (Bangladesh), 150 km east-southeast of Sagar Island, and about 170 km southeast of Kolkata.

According to the IMD, the depression is likely to move west-northwestwards and cross the West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh coasts by forenoon. It is expected to continue moving in the same direction across Gangetic West Bengal, northern Odisha, and Jharkhand over the next 24 hours.

Under its influence, Odisha is likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall till July 28. Squally weather with wind speeds of 35–45 kmph, gusting up to 55 kmph, is expected along and off the Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh coasts.

The IMD has issued a red warning for extremely heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar on July 25. Several other districts—including Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Dhenkanal, and Cuttack—may witness heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorms, and wind speeds up to 40 kmph.