Depression in Bay of Bengal set to intensify into cyclonic storm, rains in Odisha likely

A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is all set to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Saturday and it is likely to bring heavy rainfall in several parts of Odisha, the weatherman said Friday.

Though there is no cyclonic storm threat to Odisha, isolated heavy rainfall is likely in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts on December 17, said H R Biswas, the Director of the Meteorological Centre here.

Light to moderate rain is likely to occur at several places over the state from December 16 to 18, the meteorological centre here said in a bulletin.

The Met Centre said the depression over south-east Bay of Bengal formed on Thursday intensified into a deep depression on Friday. It moved in the north-north-west direction and lay centred about 1,090 km southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 36 hours. It will move in north-north-west direction and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Kakinada on December 17 afternoon, it said.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal on Saturday and west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on December 16 and 17, Biswas said.

In view of the weather conditions, distance cautionary signal number one has been put up at all ports of the state.

Signal number one implies a low pressure area is forming far at sea and surface wind could be up to 33 knots (about 60 kmph). The signal means a port is not affected but warns of slightly higher wind speed.

The Odisha government has already asked district collectors to take steps to protect paddy from the unseasonal rain.

"Necessary measures should be taken to protect the paddy in mandis, if any, against rain," Joint Relief Commissioner Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said in a letter to the district collectors on Thursday.

Farmers were advised to take necessary steps to protect their paddy and other crops from the possible rain, the letter said.