An orange alert is in force for Odisha’s Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts after the India Meteorological Department forecast very heavy rainfall from August 29, driven by a fresh low-pressure system.
The IMD has also placed 19 other districts under a yellow warning, with isolated pockets expected to see very heavy rain as the system moves across the state.
The rain is forecast to peak between August 29 and September 1, with Odisha’s active spell expected to run through September 2 as the low-pressure system continues to track inland.
Districts under the orange alert face a high risk of waterlogging, localised flooding and disrupted travel, according to the weather department’s advisory.
This marks the latest in a series of low-pressure-driven rain spells to hit Odisha during the current monsoon season.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have been placed under a thunderstorm and lightning warning as the wider weather system continues to move across the country.
The active rain spell over Odisha is expected to continue through September 2, with the heaviest rainfall in the state forecast between August 29 and September 1.
Authorities in the affected districts have been advised to remain on alert given the risk of waterlogging, localised flooding and disrupted travel during the peak of the rain spell.
The fresh low-pressure system driving the current spell is the latest in a series of such systems to affect eastern and central India during this year’s monsoon season.
IMD’s district-level warnings are colour-coded, with orange indicating authorities should be prepared for disruptive weather and yellow signalling a need for increased vigilance, a step below the more severe red alert.
The IMD has also issued heavy rain warnings for Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, east Madhya Pradesh and Sikkim through the day.
Northeastern states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are also under alert for heavy rainfall at isolated locations, with warnings for Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura extending across multiple days ahead.
Photo by McKay Savage, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (representative monsoon rain image)