Light to moderate rain is likely to lash the coastal districts of Odisha
Photo: iStock In an advisory issued by the Odisha government, Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu advised the collectors of 13 out of 30 districts in the state to be ready to face any eventuality during the rain, in view of the forecast on the cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal.
People were told to keep watch on the weather and take safe shelter during the thunderstorm and follow traffic advisories in urban areas, he said.
The fisheries and animal resources development department of Odisha has issued a warning for the farmers at fishing harbours. The fisherfolk have been advised not to venture into the Bay of Bengal during October 23-25. Those in the deep sea have been advised to return to the coast, said an officer.
Light to moderate rainfall is likely at many places in coastal Odisha from October 23-25 under the influence of the cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on October 23, 2023.
The deep depression over west-central Bay of Bengal moved northeast wards with a speed of 8 kilometres per hour and lay centered at 5.30 am on October 23 over the same region, about 400 km south of Paradip, Odisha, 550 km south-southwest of Digha, West Bengal and 690 km south-southwest of Khepupara, Bangladesh.
It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours (October 23 evening), said Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner in the latest message through X.
If the system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called Hamoon, a name given by Iran based on the formula followed for naming cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region.
Hamoon would weaken as it nears the Bangladesh coast, according to the weather agency. “It is very likely to move nearly north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast between Khepupara and Chattogram around October 25 evening as a deep depression,” sources said.
Under its influence, light to moderate rain is likely to lash the coastal districts of Odisha, said Umasankar Das, a senior scientist of the regional center of IMD, Bhubaneswar. “It will be a very weak system and have a marginal impact on Odisha,” said Das.
Moderate rain and thundershower is very likely at a few places in coastal Odisha and some places in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri on October 24 and some north and coastal districts on October 25, 2023.
The IMD also informed that the squall winds with speed reaching 40 to 50 kilometres per hour gusting to 60 kmph are likely from October 23 evening to October 24, along Odisha coast and increased to 50-60 mph gusting to 70 kmph from October 24-26.
Meanwhile, the Durga Puja organisers in different towns of Odisha are worried over the weather forecast of rains and winds. “Though there is no forecast of rain for Cuttack, we prepared the pandal for the rains,” said a puja organiser in Cuttack.
During the Durga Puja festival in 2013, a severe cyclonic storm Phailin had hit near Gopalpur-on-Sea in Ganjam district. It had claimed at least 16 lives and injured 50 persons, while the houses of around 344,000 were destroyed in Ganjam district.
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