Low pressure likely over Bay of Bengal, Odisha government sounds alert for possible cyclone

Bhubaneswar: Two consecutive low-pressure systems are brewing over the Bay of Bengal and the possibility of the second one turning into a cyclone has forced the Odisha govt to activate disaster preparedness protocols, with district collectors told to remain vigilant.Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said the state is fully equipped to handle any adverse situation. The first system, which formed on Tuesday, is expected to intensify into a depression and move towards Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, with no major impact on Odisha. A second low-pressure area is likely to develop around Oct 24–25, with some weather models hinting at possible cyclonic formation.While the Global Forecast System model suggests its possible intensification into a cyclonic storm, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model predicts development only up to depression or deep depression stages, the IMD Tropical Weather Outlook issued on Tuesday said.“The govt has taken all precautionary measures based on forecasts from various weather models and the India Meteorological Department (IMD),” Pujari said.

He added that southern Odisha districts may receive rainfall under the influence of the current system, and collectors have been placed on alert accordingly.Manorama Mohanty, head of the regional IMD centre in Bhubaneswar, said the current system is unlikely to have a direct impact on Odisha, except for light to moderate rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. She noted that another system may form over the weekend due to an upper air cyclonic circulation over the Andaman Sea.Amid predictions of back-to-back low pressures, IMD scientist H R Biswas said formation of low pressures from Oct-Dec is nothing unusual in the Bay of Bengal and occurs frequently. “These are different weather systems post-monsoons,” Biswas said.Echoing similar views, former IMD regional director Sarat Sahu projected back-to-back low-pressure formations raising the possibility of sustained rainfall.An IMD bulletin stated that light to moderate rainfall is likely at a few places in Odisha till Oct 25, with rainfall intensity expected to increase over the following two days.