Cyclone Jawad: Rainfall to Continue in Odisha, Bengal For Next 2 Days; Kashmir Receives Fresh Snowfall

Heavy rain pounded the southern section of West Bengal and the coastal area of Odisha on Sunday, disrupting normal life as cyclone Jawad diminished into a depression, according to the Met department.

The cyclonic storm is expected to weaken further into a well-defined low-pressure region during the next 12 hours, causing heavy rain in numerous districts of south Bengal till Tuesday morning. 

The Depression (remnant of cyclonic storm Jawad) over northwest Bay of Bengal near Odisha coast moved northeastwards at a speed of 25 kmph during the past 6 hours, and lay centering at 5.30 pm over northwest Bay of Bengal close to Odisha coast about 30 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 120 km east-northeast of Puri (Odisha), and 210 south-southwest of Sagar Island (West Bengal). 

The coastal districts of Odisha were drenched as the remnants of cyclone Jawad hit the Puri shoreline in the afternoon before re-curving north-northeast and hitting Paradip. Later, the system moved closer to the coast of West Bengal. As the system approached Puri, devotees and many organisations in the town began praying for Lord Jagannath's blessing to rescue the state. 

On Sunday, districts in South Bengal include North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Hooghly, Birbhum, Bankura, and Nadia had severe rain of varying severity. 

Over 54,008 people have been evacuated from the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The West Bengal government has halted ferry services on the Hooghly River, evacuated residents from coastal districts, and cautioned tourists not to visit beach resorts. 

Unseasonal rain induced by Cyclone Jawad over the last three days has dashed the dreams of farmers hoping for a bountiful harvest to make up for the loss they experienced in November. Hundreds of acres of standing crops like as rice, chilli, and vegetables have been drowned in Ganjam district as a result of heavy rain caused by Jawad, while farmers in various locations are battling to drain water from the fields. 

Snowfall in India

Rains lashed the plains while higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on 5 December. The Weather Department has predicted an improvement in weather from today.