BHUBANESWAR: With cyclone Montha gaining momentum and inching closer to the coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that southern Odisha districts will receive extremely heavy rainfall for the next two days under its impact.
Very heavy to extremely heavy rains are likely to lash Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput districts while Khurda, Puri and nine other districts are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rains on Tuesday, when the tropical storm will take shape of a severe cyclone.
On Wednesday, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi districts are likely to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, while Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir and Nuapada districts may witness heavy to very heavy showers the same day.
Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty said, “The cyclone will trigger widespread rainfall activity over the state in the next three days. However, its maximum impact will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Wind speeds reaching 60 kmph to 70 kmph and gusting up to 80 kmph are likely to prevail in Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts on Tuesday, and in Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput districts on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the IMD informed that cyclone Montha over west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph in the past six hours and lay centered at 5.30 pm on Monday over the same region, about 450 km south-southeast of Kakinada, 500 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 670 km south-southwest of Gopalpur.
It is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclone by Tuesday morning. Continuing to move further north-northwestwards, it is very likely to cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during Tuesday evening/night as a severe cyclone with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90 kmph to 100 kmph and gusting up to 110 kmph, the national weather body informed.
