Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts of Odisha, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours as a low‑pressure area is likely to form within 24 hours.
Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre here Manorama Mohanty said the system is expected to trigger widespread rain from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. “We anticipate heavy to very heavy and, in some areas, extremely heavy rainfall during the next two days,” she said at a press briefing.
Districts under red warning include Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur, while Baleshwar, Jharsuguda, Kataka, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar, Ganjam, and Gajapati have been placed under orange alert. Dhenkanal, Anugola, Rayagada, Kandhamala, and Sundaragada are under yellow alert for isolated heavy showers.
The IMD has advised fishermen to avoid venturing into deep sea areas for the next five days due to rough conditions. The department also warned of possible waterlogging, flash floods, and disruption of road and rail traffic in low‑lying regions. The weather office expects the rain spell to continue beyond July 16, particularly in northern and coastal Odisha.