Deep depression closes in on Andhra-Odisha coast; IMD issues red alert

A deep depression over the westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal is closing in on the North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha coasts and is expected to make landfall within the next three to four hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The system, which could intensify into a cyclone named 'Arnab' — meaning ocean in Bengali — was moving west-northwestwards at about 7 kmph over the past six hours. At 5:30 pm IST on Wednesday, it lay centred near latitude 18.1°N and longitude 84.0°E, roughly 30 km south-southwest of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, 90 km east-northeast of Visakhapatnam and 160 km southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.

Rain batters both states

Heavy rainfall has already lashed large parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with authorities stepping up efforts to limit the damage.

In Odisha, schools have been shut in eight districts — Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput and Khurda — until September 24. Leave for government employees has been cancelled.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the situation and directed officials to ensure round-the-clock emergency response, prepare relief shelters and maintain adequate stocks of essential supplies. As many as 33 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams have been deployed across affected districts, with nine more kept on standby at Chhatrapur.

In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked district collectors to stay vigilant and ensure that people in vulnerable areas are evacuated. "Monitor inflows in the rivers continuously and take measures for necessary water storage in the reservoirs," he said in an official release.

Social media videos showed torrential rain flooding agricultural fields, while rainwater entered homes in Bhavani Nagar in Tekkali. A tree was uprooted in Neelapuram mandal.

Red alerts and forecast

The IMD has placed several districts of southern Odisha under a red alert, warning of intense rainfall over the next two days. Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain, with isolated pockets of extremely heavy rainfall on September 23 and 24. For September 24 and 25, the red alert extends to Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri.

For Andhra Pradesh, isolated places in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) districts are likely to get heavy rainfall between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 8:30 am on Thursday. Heavy to very heavy rain is also forecast at isolated places over Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam and Eluru districts during the same period.

The IMD has predicted heavy rain at isolated places over NTR, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Anantapur, Kurnool and Nandyal districts during the 24-hour window.