Low pressure area over Bay of Bengal may become Cyclone: JTWC

Bhubaneswar: At a time when Odisha is bracing up for heavy rainfall due to the low pressure area over Bay of Bengal which is likely to intensify into a depression, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) of the United States has forecasted that the system may become a cyclonic storm.

“Numerical model guidance indicates that the system will track west-northwestward towards Kolkata and make landfall within the next 36-48 hours. It is expected to peak in intensity within the next 24-36 hours just before making landfall. The system is expected to track into an area of lower vertical wind shear allowing the system to further intensify. Maximum sustained surface winds are estimated at 28 to 33 knots. The potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours is high,” the JTWC said today.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the Well Marked Low Pressure Area over Northeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bangladesh coast is very likely to continue to move northwestwards and concentrate into a Depression by the morning of August 19 over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts.

Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal, North Odisha, Jharkhand and North Chhattisgarh, the agency said.

The Regional Meteorological Centre here has issued Red Warning for two districts of Odisha and Orange Warning for several districts for tomorrow (August 19) in connection with heavy rainfall.

Red Warning: Heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls (>20cm) very likely to occur over the districts of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj.

Orange Warning: Heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20cm) very likely to occur at a few places over the districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Jajpur, Balasore and Bhadrak.

Yellow Warning: Heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) very likely to occur at isolated places over the districts of Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Khordha and Puri.