Six districts in Odisha are on red alert after the India Meteorological Department forecast extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours. The districts named are Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul.
The IMD has also warned of thunderstorms and lightning in these areas, with landslides possible in hilly terrain and flash floods possible in low-lying regions.
The alert comes after a Low Pressure Area over the West Bengal coast strengthened into a Well-marked Pressure Area over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Odisha-West Bengal coasts, as of 5:30 am IST on Sunday.
Fishermen have been advised to avoid the deep sea and adjoining coastal waters for the next four days due to rough sea conditions.
Central Maharashtra has also been placed under a red alert this week as part of the wider monsoon activity across India.
(Image: McKay Savage (CC BY 2.0))