Heavy Rain Alert for Odisha: Orange Warning for Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, Low-Pressure System Likely to Intensify Rainfall

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts over the next 24 hours, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall.

A Yellow Warning has also been issued for 16 districts—Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, and Sundargarh—where heavy rainfall is expected.

For the remaining 12 districts, the weather department has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30–40 kmph, issuing a Yellow Warning for these areas as well.

According to the IMD, rainfall activity is expected to continue across Odisha for the next 48 hours, while intermittent rain accompanied by isolated heavy spells is likely to persist across several parts of the state for the next seven days, until August 11.

Rainfall Recorded in the Last 24 Hours

Talcher recorded the highest rainfall in the state with 80 mm, followed by:

• Rourkela – 59 mm
• Angul – 51 mm
• Bhadrak – 47.8 mm
• Sundargarh – 43 mm
• Titlagarh – 35 mm
• Jharsuguda – 28.1 mm
• Deogarh – 26.4 mm
• Bhubaneswar – 18.4 mm
• Daringbadi – 14 mm

By Wednesday evening, Sundargarh received 23.8 mm of rainfall, while Balangir recorded 17.3 mm.

Low-Pressure Area Likely Around August 9–10

Meteorologists said the ongoing rainfall is being driven by the active monsoon flow, which is expected to continue for the next 2–3 days.

According to meteorologist Surendranath Pashupalak, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form over the west-central Bay of Bengal near the North Andhra Pradesh–South Odisha coast by August 7. The system is expected to intensify into a low-pressure area around August 9–10.

Under its influence, rainfall is likely to increase across Odisha from August 7–8 onward, with south and coastal Odisha expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Rainfall Pattern May Shift Across the State

The weather expert said rainfall is expected to continue over southern and coastal Odisha until August 12, after which central and western Odisha may witness a rise in rainfall activity.

Unlike the previous low-pressure system, which brought widespread rain to north Odisha, the upcoming system is expected to have a greater impact on southern Odisha.

The prevailing weather conditions could keep rainfall activity active across the state until August 13, with some areas likely to continue receiving rain up to August 14 or 15, according to the latest meteorological assessment.