Deep depression to bring heavy rain in Odisha; no possibility of cyclone

India

oi-Deepika S

Bhubaneswar, Aug 19:
As
the
depression
in
the
Bay
of
Bengal
intensified
into
a
deep
depression
bringing
rainfall
in
Odisha
and
West
Bengal,
the
India
Meteorological
Department
(IMD)
on
Friday
rejected
the
possibility
of
any
cyclone
now.

Social
media
was
flooded
with
posts
on
the
possibility
of
a
cyclone
following
the
US
Joint
Typhoon
Warning
Center’s
(JTWC)
warning
on
Thursday
that
the
system
has
the
potential
to
intensify
into
a
cyclone.

“There
is
no
possibility
of
a
cyclone
this
time.
We
have
never
said
that
the
system
will
take
the
shape
of
a
cyclone,”
IMD
Director
General
Mrutunjay
Mohapatra
told
PTI.

The
system
will
move
along
the
coast
as
a
deep
depression
at
a
wind
speed
of
60
to
65
kmph
and
it
is
unlikely
to
intensify
further,
he
said.
The
system,
which
lay
about
200
km
east-southeast
of
Balasore
in
Odisha
and
100
km
southeast
of
Sagar
Island
in
West
Bengal
at
11.30
am,
will
move
west-northwestwards
across
north
Odisha,
West
Bengal
and
Jharkhand
towards
north
Chhattisgarh
as
a
deep
depression.

Under
its
influence,
squally
surface
wind
reaching
up
to
55-65
kmph
is
expected
in
coastal
areas
and
30-40
kmph
in
interior
districts
of
Odisha.

“North
Odisha
will
receive
the
maximum
rainfall
today
while
rain
intensity
will
increase
in
western
districts
tomorrow,”
Mohapatra
said.

Odisha’s
Special
Relief
Commissioner
(SRC)
P
K
Jena
told
reporters
that
the
IMD
has
not
given
any
indication
of
a
cyclone.
“Our
experts
have
studied
both
models
of
the
IMD
and
the
JTWC.

Both
indicate
that
the
system
will
pass
through
the
same
track.
We
conclude
that
the
system
will
remain
contained
within
a
deep
depression,”
Jena
said.
He
said
that
the
state
would
like
to
go
with
the
IMD
forecast.

“This
apart,
the
JTWC
has
nowhere
said
that
the
system
will
take
the
shape
of
a
cyclone.
It
mentioned
that
it
has
the
potential
to
become
a
cyclonic
storm,”
Jena
pointed
out.

Meanwhile,
the
IMD
has
issued
a
Red
warning
for
heavy
to
very
heavy
rainfall,
with
isolated
extremely
heavy
falls,
for
Keonjhar,
Bhadrak,
Balasore
and
Mayurbhanj
districts
till
8.30
am
on
August
20.

It has also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in districts such as Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Balangir and Jajpur during this period.

An
orange
warning
also
continues
for
the
subsequent
24
hours
with
a
forecast
for
heavy
to
very
heavy
rainfall
at
one
or
two
places
in
Jharsuguda,
Sundargarh,
Keonjhar,
Deogarh,
Sambalpur,
Bargarh,
Sonepur
and
Bolangir
districts.
Heavy
rainfall
is
very
likely
to
occur
at
isolated
places
in
Mayurbhanj,
Angul,
Boudh,
Kalahandi,
Nuapada,
Nabarangpur
and
Dhenkanal
districts,
the
IMD
said.