IMD predicts heavy rainfall in Puri during Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Jatra

Rains on Saturday lashed parts of the coastal region of Odisha due to a cyclonic circulation over north Bay of Bengal which is likely to take shape of a low pressure in next 48 hours, IMD said.

"We have forecast heavy rainfall in the coastal region and small amount of downpour in interior parts of the state in next 24 hours," director IMD, Sarat Sahu said.

Sahu said the IMD has already informed the state government about the possibility of heavy rainfall in Puri, where Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Jatra festival will be observed on Sunday.

He said Puri has recorded the state's highest rainfall of 52.8 mm during last 12 hours. "There will be cloudy sky over Puri and one or two spells of heavy rainfall in the holy town tomorrow," Sahu said.

Sahu said the low pressure would also trigger rainfall in south Odisha also.

"The upper air cyclonic circulation over north Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood persists and now extends up to 7.6 km above mean sea level tilting southwestwards with height.

Under the influence of this system, a low-pressure area is likely to form over north-west Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during next 48 hours," a bulletin of the Indian Meteorological
Department said.

Meanwhile, rainfall has occurred at a few places over North Odisha and at one or two places over South Odisha.

The chief amount of rainfall recorded in centimeter are: Kujanga (Jagatsinghpur district)- 5, Dhamnagar (Bhadrak)- 3, Marsaghai (Kendrapara)- 3, Kaptipada (Mayurbhanj)- 3,
Balasore- 3, Kakatpur (Puri)- 3, Bhograi (Balasore)- 3, Joshipur (Mayurbhanj)- 3, Jaleswar (Balasore)- 3, Nilgiri (Balasore)- 2, Rajkanika (Kendrapara)- 2, Pallahara (Angul)-
2, Hemgiri (Sundargarh)- 2 and Astaranga (Puri)- 2.