Bhubaneswar: The low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to turn into a deep depression triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts of Odisha during the next three days, the regional office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.
Accordingly, the weather office has issued a red warning for extremely heavy rain (70 mm to 200 mm) in Koraput, Malkangiri and Gajapati districts for three days beginning Friday. The district administrations in Koraput and Gajapati have declared closure of all educational institutions under their jurisdiction in view of the weather forecast.
Similarly, an orange alert for heavy rain has been issued in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Ganjam. A yellow alert has been issued in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Puri districts. The twin city Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are also likely to experience heavy rainfall today.
According to the IMD, the wet spell will continue in south Odisha, including coastal Odisha, till Sunday. The wind speed will be around 35 to 45 km per hour during the rain. Gusty winds can reach speeds of 55 km per hour.
The Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has instructed all the District Collectors to evacuate people to storm shelters where necessary. The weather department has warned about water logging in low-lying areas, and landslides in hilly areas, artificial floods in urban areas, as well as collapse of mud houses during the rain. District Magistrates and municipal officers of all these districts have been instructed to be alert.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture out into the sea on Friday and Saturday.
