Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said a low-pressure area is likely to form over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal (BoB) on August 13, under the influence of a trough and an upper-air cyclonic circulation.
According to the IMD, the trough currently extends from south Bihar to north Odisha up to 1.5 km above mean sea level, while a cyclonic circulation is located over central parts of the Bay of Bengal between 3.1 and 5.8 km above mean sea level. The system is expected to intensify further over the next 48 hours.
In its mid-day weather bulletin, the IMD issued a Yellow warning for heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with lightning, and gusty surface winds reaching 30–40 kmph at isolated places in Malkangiri, Koraput, and Nabarangpur on August 13.
The same day, thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are also likely at one or two locations in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Rayagada.
From August 14 to 16, the IMD has issued an Orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning at isolated places in Koraput and Malkangiri. A yellow warning has been issued for Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Gajapati, Bolangir, and Nuapada, while thunderstorm activity is expected in several other districts including coastal and interior Odisha.
On August 17, a Yellow warning for heavy rain and thunderstorm has been extended to Koraput and Malkangiri, along with thunderstorm alerts for parts of western, central, and southern Odisha including Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati.
In view of rough sea conditions, the IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast and over the west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal, from August 13 to 16.