Odisha is likely to witness heavy rain coupled with strong winds in the next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Monday. Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon arrived in the state on Monday, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall in several parts of Odisha. “The southwest monsoon entered Odisha today [Monday] and set in some parts of coastal districts of the state,” Sarat Chandra Sahu, Director of the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneshwar, told PTI.

The Met office said rain and thunderstorms are likely to occur in coastal areas and interior districts in the next 24 hours. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapara and heavy rainfall at one or two places in Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Khorda, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati, reported PTI. Fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea.

Weathermen said a depression has developed over the Bay of Bengal. The low-pressure area, which formed on Sunday, has intensified into being a ‘well-marked’ one, the Met office said. The system could intensify further into a deep depression and is likely to move northwards to West Bengal and Bangladesh.