The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for six districts in Odisha — Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul — warning of extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours.
The alert also flags thunderstorms and lightning across the affected areas, with the IMD cautioning that the rain could trigger landslides in hilly regions and flash floods in low-lying areas.
The system responsible is a Low Pressure Area that formed over the West Bengal coast and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, which intensified into a Well-marked Pressure Area over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Odisha-West Bengal coasts as of 5:30 am IST on Sunday.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea or adjoining coastal waters for the next four days because of rough sea conditions linked to the system.
A red alert has also been issued for Central Maharashtra as part of the broader monsoon activity affecting several states this week.
(Image: McKay Savage (CC BY 2.0))
