Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday forecast more rain in several parts of Odisha, including in Puri town where lakhs of devotees are celebrating the annual Rath Yatra, under the influence of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.
The weather system is very likely to intensify into a well-marked low-pressure area and move northwestward across north Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during the next 12 hours, the IMD said in a bulletin.
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Under its impact, heavy rainfall is expected to occur in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurdha, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Bargarh, Sonepur, and Boudh districts on Thursday.
According to the bulletin, maximum rainfall occurred at Banki in Cuttack district (210 mm) during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday, while nine other places also received very heavy rainfall (115-210 mm) during the period.
Rainfall activity would continue in the pilgrim town of Puri for at least the next six hours till 4 pm, Director of IMD's Bhubaneswar Centre, Manorama Mohanty, said.
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Mohanty urged devotees to remain alert during lightning and thunderstorms, as lakhs of pilgrims braved relentless heavy rain to witness the 'Pahandi' ritual or the ceremonial procession of the sibling deities of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, marking the beginning of the nine-day Rath Yatra at the Puri temple.
The IMD also said that in case of heavy rainfall or lightning, the devotees should take shelter under a permanent structure, not under trees, electric poles or temporary structures.
