India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the conditions are becoming favourable for withdrawal of the monsoon from parts of the northwest. According to Reuters report, the monsoon, vital for India because almost half of its farmland lacks irrigation, usually starts retreating from the desert state of Rajasthan in the west by mid-September, while summer rains first lash India's southern Kerala coast in June .
Meanwhile, in a related development, with a cyclonic circulation formed over the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a low pressure area on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy rainfall in coastal Odisha, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, till Wednesday.
The weatherman said the system, formed over the north and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify over the next 24 hours while moving towards the Odisha coast.
It said that under the influence of the low pressure area, widespread rain with isolated intense spells and thunderstorm with lightning is likely across Odisha from September 19 to 21. Mathili area in Malkangiri district received the highest rainfall in the last 24 hours at 84 mm, followed by 82.3 mm at Lamtapur in Koraput district and 79 mm at Tentulikhunti in Nabarangpur district.
The state has received an average of 23.1 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. The Regional Meteorological Centre at Bhubaneswar has issued an advisory for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which are likely to witness one or two intense spells of rain on September 20. The state capital has already received rain since the formation of the low pressure.
The Met department issued an orange warning, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall, at one or two places in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Puri and Ganjam districts. Under the impact of rainfall, there is a possibility of landslides in hilly areas and the collapse of walls of kutcha houses.
(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)
