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A low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal is set to bring widespread heavy rainfall to Odisha and West Bengal over the next few days, prompting weather alerts, disruption warnings and precautionary measures ahead of the annual Rath Yatra in Puri.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday, 15 July that the low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal off the north Odisha-West Bengal coast around 5.30 am under the influence of an upper air cyclonic circulation. The system is expected to intensify into a well-marked low-pressure area and move northwards across north Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal over the next two days.

With the weather system already triggering heavy rain across coastal Odisha since Tuesday evening, the IMD issued a "red warning" (take action) for Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts, where extremely heavy rainfall is expected.

The alert comes a day before the world-famous Rath Yatra in Puri, where lakhs of devotees from across India and abroad are expected to gather.

Puri town received 143.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Wednesday, the highest in the state. Heavy showers inundated several parts of the temple town, including the Grand Road in front of the Jagannath temple, where the chariots will be pulled during Thursday's procession.

Fire service personnel were deployed to pump out water from inundated stretches. "We have deployed pumps at the spots where waterlogging may arise during heavy rainfall. The pumps were used during heavy rain last evening to drain out the water," a fire service official said.

In view of the forecast, the Puri district administration ordered the closure of all schools, including private institutions, on Wednesday.

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The IMD's Bhubaneswar centre also issued a special advisory for pilgrims between 10 am and 4 pm, urging them to remain alert during thunderstorms and lightning activity. Elderly devotees, children and people with medical conditions were advised to avoid prolonged exposure to rain and crowded places. The weather office also asked people to take shelter in permanent structures during lightning rather than under trees, electric poles or temporary shelters.

The sea is expected to remain rough to very rough, prompting the IMD to advise fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast till 17 July.

Apart from Puri, Derabish in Kendrapara district recorded 135 mm of rainfall, while nearby Pattamundai received 129 mm. Twenty-one other locations across Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jajpur recorded between 65 mm and 107 mm of rain.

The IMD also issued an 'orange warning' (be prepared to take action) for Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Khurdha, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, while a 'yellow warning' remains in force for Balasore, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Rayagada and Gajapati.

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Neighbouring West Bengal is also expected to witness widespread rain as the system tracks northwards.

According to the IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in south Bengal districts, including Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura, until 17 July. Heavy rain has also been forecast for Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

As the weather system advances further north, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar on 19 and 20 July.

The weather office has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea off the Bengal coast until 18 July and warned of possible landslides in the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, along with waterlogging in low-lying areas of the plains.

With PTI inputs