A cyclonic system has developed over the northwest Bay of Bengal, off the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh, triggering widespread weather alerts across Odisha. The Bhubaneswar Regional Meteorological Centre confirmed the formation early Friday morning, with Meteorologist Umashankar Das announcing the development on social media platform X at 5:30 AM.
In response, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of the state, in effect until July 28. Coastal and interior regions are expected to bear the brunt of the storm’s impact.
Red Alert for Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar:
The districts of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar are under a red warning for Friday, with forecasts indicating extremely heavy downpours that could lead to flooding and waterlogging. An orange warning has also been sounded for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, and Sundargarh, where significant rainfall is anticipated.
The weather is expected to deteriorate further over the weekend. On Saturday, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to persist in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh. Interior Odisha, along with southern districts, may experience thunderstorms and localized intense showers.
By Sunday, western Odisha will begin to feel the cyclone’s effects, with forecasts predicting moderate to heavy rainfall across several regions. Thunderstorms may continue in isolated parts of South and interior Odisha.
With sea conditions rapidly worsening, fishermen have been strongly advised to stay ashore and avoid venturing into the turbulent waters of the Bay of Bengal.
