Odisha woke up to widespread heavy rainfall on Friday as a fresh low-pressure system formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the system will intensify into a depression by evening, likely crossing the south Odisha–north Andhra Pradesh coast within the next 24 hours.
Heavy showers have been reported across several coastal and southern districts since morning. The IMD has issued the following alerts:
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Orange Alert: For Koraput and Malkangiri, warning of very heavy rainfall and gusty winds (40–50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph).
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Yellow Alert: For most other districts including Rayagada, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khordha, Kandhamal, Balasore, Nayagarh, warning of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The IMD has cautioned of potential flooding in low-lying areas, waterlogging, and disruption of transport and daily life.
In view of the weather situation, all schools in Malkangiri district have been closed for the day.
District administrations have been directed to stay on high alert, activate control rooms, and deploy disaster response teams in vulnerable areas.
The regional meteorological centre has advised fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea due to rough weather and high waves along the Odisha coast.
Three Days of Wet Weather Ahead
Rainfall activity is expected to continue for at least three days across most parts of the state, with southern and coastal districts likely to witness the most intense spells.
Day-Wise Forecast:
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Day 1 (Sept 26-27): Very heavy rain in Koraput, Malkangiri, heavy rain in Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khordha, Balasore. Thunderstorms likely in northern and western districts.
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Day 2 (Sept 27-28): Depression to cross coast; Nabarangpur under orange alert. Heavy rain expected in Rayagada, Ganjam, Malkangiri, Koraput. Coastal districts may face strong winds (30–50 kmph).
Thunderstorm with lightning with gusty surface wind speed reaching 20-30 kmph gusting to 40 kmph is very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj.
