Depression over Bay of Bengal likely to become low-intensity cyclone by Tuesday

Bhubaneswar: The depression over the Bay of Bengal may become a low-intensity cyclonic storm by October 24, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

The depression lies centred around 610 km south of Odisha's Paradip, the IMD said in a bulletin.

"The system is likely to further intensify into a deep depression over the next 24 hours. It will move northwestwards in the subsequent 12 hours and then move towards the Bangladesh-West Bengal coasts in the following three days," it added.

"Though there is a possibility of the formation of a cyclonic storm, it is likely to be a very weak system. It will have a marginal impact on Odisha, bringing in light to moderate rain. The system at the sea will be around 200 km from the state's coast," weather scientist Umashankar Dash of the Regional Meteorological Centre told PTI.

Dash said fishermen were warned not to venture into the sea till October 25 as the conditions will remain rough. He said the IMD has cautioned farmers to harvest matured paddy crops by October 23 as some parts of coastal Odisha may experience light to moderate rainfall.

Under the system's influence, light to moderate rainfall is likely at a few places in coastal Odisha on October 23 and at many places on October 24-25.