22 places in Odisha record very heavy rainfall

BHUBANESWAR: About 22 places recorded very heavy rainfall (115.6 mm to 204.4 mm) in Odisha in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, under the influence of a low-pressure system. Hemgiri received 200 mm rainfall, Astaranga and Rajgangpur 170 mm each, while Sundargarh, Banki, Phiringia, Tangarpali, Dhankauda and Lephripara 160 mm each during the same period.  

Boudh received 85 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Sunday, Dhenkanal 76 mm and Phulbani 71 mm. The Twin City of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack received 45.1 mm and 27.8 mm of rainfall respectively.

The well-marked low-pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal off north Odisha and West Bengal coasts moved slightly west-northwestwards and concentrated into a depression on Sunday. 

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the depression on Sunday at 5.30 pm lay centred over south Jharkhand and adjoining north Odisha about 80 km south-southwest of Jamshedpur and 70 km north-northeast of Keonjhar.

The system is very likely to move west-northwestwards and maintain the intensity of depression during the next 24 hours. The national weather forecaster has predicted light to moderate rainfall or thundershower activity at many places, and heavy rainfall at one or two places in four districts on Monday. 

Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist Umasankar Das said the rainfall activity is expected to reduce in Odisha from Monday onwards. Due to two back-to-back low-pressure systems, the State received a good amount of rainfall, with 6 per cent excess rain between June 1 and August 14.