Odisha braces for rain as low-pressure system approaches

Bhubaneswar, Dec 23: Odisha is bracing for another round of heavy rainfall over the next two days following two days of unexpected downpours last week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that a well-marked low-pressure area over the Southwest and adjacent Westcentral Bay of Bengal is set to move towards the southwest Bay of Bengal, approaching the northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh coasts by Tuesday.

As of Monday, the IMD noted that the weather system is currently situated over the Southwest and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal, near the South Andhra Pradesh-North Tamil Nadu coasts. It is expected to progress west-southwest and reach the aforementioned coasts on December 24.

The IMD also predicts a gradual drop in night temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next two days. Rainfall is anticipated to resume at various locations in South Coastal Odisha and sporadically in North Coastal Odisha, with shallow to moderate fog likely in select areas of Kandhamal, Raygada, Koraput, Balangir, Bargarh, and Sonepur districts.

The rainfall is expected to intensify on December 24, particularly in the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, and Koraput. Light to moderate rain may also occur in several areas, including Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada, and Jagatsinghpur, as well as isolated spots in Balasore, Boudh, Jajpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput, and Malkangiri.

On December 25, heavy rainfall may persist in parts of Gajapati and Ganjam, with light to moderate rain expected in various locations across Coastal Odisha.