A red alert has been issued for several districts of southern Odisha as the depression approaches the coastHeavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rain at isolated places, is predicted in Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam on September 23 and 24.
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New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the weather system over the Bay of Bengal is advancing west-northwestwards and is likely to intensify into a deep depression before crossing the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coastEarlier on Monday, the weatherman said that the depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal was likely to intensify into a deep depression.
“The Depression over Westcentral & adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal, moved westwards with speed 18 kmph during past 06 hours and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 22nd September, 2026, over the same region near latitude 17.9°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 200 km southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha), 200 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 210 km south of Puri (Odisha), and 290 km east of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh),” the IMD said.
“It is very likely to move west-northwestwards & intensify into a deep depression over Westcentral & adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal during next 12 hours,” the IMD said, adding that the system was forecast to continue moving west-northwestwards.
Cyclone Arnab
As per the regional roster of names for cyclonic storms, the next cyclone to form over the North Indian Ocean will be named Arnab.
The name Arnab, which means “ocean” in Bangla, was contributed by Bangladesh to the regional list of tropical cyclone names maintained by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Cyclone Arnab: Here are some of the key details
- Heavy rain has already lashed coastal and southern Odisha, prompting authorities to take precautionary measures.
- Schools in Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati were closed on Tuesday
- Malkangiri ordered schools to remain shut until September 24Anganwadi centres in the affected areas have also been closed until September 24.
- Teachers and other school staff, however, have been instructed to report to work.
- Principals have been asked to introduce roster duties to ensure that school buildings remain accessible around the clock and can be used in case of an emergency.
- The National Rural Talent Scholarship examination scheduled for September 22 will continue as planned at designated examination centres.
- Authorities in Koraput and Kalahandi have directed teachers not to leave their places of posting until September 25.
- Ferry services between Satapada and Jahnikuda in Chilika Lake have also been suspended until September 25 because of the prevailing weather conditions.
- The weather system is also expected to affect West Bengal, with heavy rainfall forecast across several districts until September 26.
- Heavy rain is likely in South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum.
- The IMD has also forecast heavy precipitation in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar until September 26.
The depression is also expected to affect coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the system forecast to cross between Visakhapatnam and GopalpurThe IMD said the depression was around 320 km from Visakhapatnam and was moving west-northwestwardsIt is expected to intensify into a deep depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal before crossing the coast.
