A fresh low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 27, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. The developing system could bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across coastal Odisha and southern West Bengal from Monday.
According to Manorama Mohanty, director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, the system has been moving west-northwestward and is likely to strengthen over the next few days. “It will become a depression by October 25, deepen further on October 26, and intensify into a cyclonic storm by the morning of October 27,” Mohanty said.
While it’s too early to determine the storm’s exact landfall location, the IMD warned that Odisha’s coastal districts will be most affected between October 27 and 29. A yellow alert has been issued for light to moderate rainfall across 12 districts on Friday, expanding to 21 districts over the weekend, and the entire state by Monday.
Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, Suresh Pujari, said the government is fully prepared. “October is a cyclone-prone month. There’s no need to panic the administration is ready to handle any eventuality,” he said.
The system is also expected to bring heavy showers to South Bengal districts including North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, and Howrah between October 28 and 30. Kolkata and nearby Hooghly are likely to experience thunderstorms with lightning on October 28, while North Bengal districts such as Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda could receive heavy rain on October 29–30.
The IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea from October 26 onward and advised residents of low-lying areas to stay alert for possible flooding and high winds. Emergency teams in both states have been asked to remain on standby.