Depression Over Bay of Bengal to Weaken, Heavy Rainfall Continues in Odisha

The IMD reported that the depression over the Bay of Bengal near Chilika Lake will weaken over 24 hours. Odisha and other regions will experience heavy rain, with notable overall rainfall across India from late June to early July.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the depression centered over the Bay of Bengal near Chilika Lake on the Odisha coast is set to weaken gradually within the next 24 hours. As per the IMD, the system was positioned at 530 hours IST on Saturday, about 40 km south-southwest of Puri and 70 km east-northeast of Gopalpur in Odisha.

The IMD stated, "It is likely to move further west-northwestwards across Odisha and Chhattisgarh and weaken gradually during the next 24 hours." The forecast issued on Friday suggests that several parts of Odisha will continue to experience heavy rainfall due to the system's influence.

Under this depression's impact, Odisha has been witnessing heavy rainfall for four days starting Thursday. From June 1 to 18, the state recorded 288.3 mm of cumulative rainfall, against a normal 394.1 mm. 13 districts received normal rainfall, while 17 districts remained deficient.

The southwest monsoon has been active over a vast area of India. It covered the entire country by July 2, ahead of schedule. Recent data shows significant rainfall: the all-India rainfall increased from 242 mm on July 9 to 305.8 mm on July 17, standing at 97 per cent of the normal rate for this period.

(With inputs from agencies.)