Odisha has begun precautionary preparations after the India Meteorological Department forecast that a weather system over the Bay of Bengal could intensify into a cyclonic storm by the evening of November 16, even as the state awaits a clearer assessment of its possible impact.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said district collectors in northern, southern and coastal parts of Odisha had been alerted and asked to remain prepared. He said the IMD had not yet issued a prediction on how the system could affect the state, but the government had started precautionary measures.
In a special message to the chief secretary, the IMD said a low-pressure area had formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal. The system was centred over the central Andaman Sea and adjoining Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday morning.
According to the weather department, the system is expected to move northwestwards and intensify into a well-marked low-pressure area by November 14. It may then develop into a depression over the same region around the morning of November 15 before moving north-northwestwards and strengthening further into a cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal around November 16 evening.
The developing system has already triggered rainfall and thunderstorm alerts for several districts. The Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur on November 18 and 19. Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh may also experience thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph during this period.
For November 19 and 20, heavy rainfall has been forecast in Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri districts, with a yellow alert issued for these areas. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds are also expected across a wider group of districts, including several coastal and southern areas.
The IMD has separately warned of squally weather along and off the south Odisha coast on November 17. Winds may reach 45-55 kmph, with gusts up to 65 kmph, while the sea is expected to remain rough to very rough. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the south Odisha coast on that day.
Sources said Pujari was expected to hold a review meeting with senior officials to assess the developing situation and its possible implications for the state. The next official assessment will depend on the system’s movement and intensification over the Bay of Bengal.
