Odisha is likely to receive light to moderate rainfall at scattered places across several districts for four days from Wednesday, with isolated showers possibly continuing through Durga Puja, according to the latest India Meteorological Department bulletin. The forecast comes as an easterly trough remains active over the region and the southwest monsoon prepares to withdraw from the remaining parts of the state.
The IMD said a cyclonic circulation over the Andaman Sea had merged with the easterly trough and could potentially develop into a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. The weather system is also supporting conditions for the further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from the remaining parts of the country, including Odisha, over the next two days.
Umashankar Das, an IMD scientist in Delhi, said several districts in Odisha were likely to experience light to moderate rainfall under the influence of the trough line. Manorama Mohanty, head of the regional IMD centre, said rainfall could persist at isolated places in some districts, while the monsoon was expected to withdraw from the remaining parts of the state soon.
Former regional IMD centre director Sarat Chandra Sahu said coastal districts would mostly receive light rain at isolated places over the next two to three days. The forecast has implications for local travel, outdoor activities, drainage operations and public-event management during the Durga Puja period, although the bulletin indicates scattered or isolated rainfall rather than a state-wide spell.
For Wednesday, the IMD forecast light to moderate rain at a few places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh districts. These include coastal districts as well as parts of southern and central Odisha.
Several locations recorded light to moderate rain during the preceding 24-hour period. Gumma in Gajapati district received the highest rainfall at 42 mm, according to the IMD rainfall report issued in the morning. Daringbadi in Kandhamal district recorded 18 mm.
The forecast follows a wetter-than-normal monsoon season for the state. Odisha received 29% excess rainfall compared with normal during the monsoon period from June to September, according to the report. The IMD has said rainfall may continue at isolated places during Durga Puja even as the monsoon withdrawal progresses. Authorities and residents will now track district-level updates as the trough and the Bay of Bengal system evolve.
