BHUBANESWAR: The spell of heavy rain is set to continue in Odisha with a fresh low-pressure area forming over the Bay of Bengal on Saturday. The system will trigger heavy rainfall in several northern and western districts over the next six days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The system has developed under the influence of an upper-air cyclonic circulation over southwest West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha, the met office said.
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh and Sambalpur districts over the next three days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely in Sundargarh and Keonjhar between Wednesday and Friday.
Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are expected at many places across the state from Sunday (August 9) to Friday (August 14).
Odisha, which recorded 27 per cent excess rainfall between June 1 and August 8, is likely to see more rain in the coming days, with another low-pressure system expected to develop over the Bay of Bengal next week.
In its extended-range outlook for August 8-13 and August 14-20, the IMD said an upper-air cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over the north Bay of Bengal around August 12. The system could intensify into a low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal around August 14.
The latest spell of heavy rain has inundated several areas in Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts. The downpour, linked to two cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal, has left hundreds of people marooned and disrupted road connectivity.
In Kendrapara’s Singhagaon panchayat, residents have struggled to arrange food and other essentials as their village remains waterlogged.
The state capital also bore the brunt of the continuous downpour. The city’s low-lying areas such as Haridaspur remained waterlogged on the day. Meanwhile, the authorities said they are keeping a close watch on the prevailing low pressure and an anticipated system likely to form next week.
