Bhubaneswar: A well-marked low pressure area over the North Bay of Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh-West Bengal coasts continued to move northwestwards and lay over coastal West Bengal and adjoining areas of Bangladesh and Northwest Bay of Bengal at 5:30 am today, informed the India Meteorological Department.
According to the Met department, the system is likely to continue moving northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal towards Jharkhand and may intensify into a depression during the next 12 hours.
The low pressure is already triggering heavy rain over north Odisha. Continuous rainfall has been reported in Baleshwar, Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts. Baleshwar district alone recorded 137 mm of rainfall till 5:30 am today.
With the system moving closer to Jharkhand, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with gusty winds over several districts of Odisha in the next 24-48 hours.
The weather department has advised fishermen not to venture into the North Bay of Bengal.
