IMD Warns Bay Depression May Cross Odisha-Andhra Coast; Odisha Shuts Schools

A Bay of Bengal weather system is strengthening and is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast soon, the India Meteorological Department stated on Tuesday, as Odisha shut schools and anganwadi centres in four districts over the heavy rain threat.

The system is expected to intensify further before crossing as a deep depression between the night of September 23 and the early hours of September 24, Hindustan Times reported.

Storm Track Update

At about 11:45 am on Monday, the IMD posted on X that the depression over westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal should strengthen into a deep depression soon. It said: “The Depression over Westcentral & adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal, moved westwards with speed 18 kmph during past 06 hours and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 22nd September, 2026, over the same region near latitude 17.9°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 200 km southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha), 200 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 210 km south of Puri (Odisha), and 290 km east of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)”.

“It is very likely to move west-northwestwards & intensify into a deep depression over Westcentral & adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal during next 12 hours,” IMD said, adding that the system is forecast to continue moving west-northwestwards. It is likely to reach the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur as a deep depression between the night of September 23 and the early hours of September 24, or Wednesday and Thursday.

Odisha District Closures

Four Odisha districts have ordered schools and anganwadi centres shut as the IMD warned that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal could dump heavy rain on the state for the next two days. An earlier HT report said some areas may get up to 20 cm of rain and winds of 55-65 kmph from Tuesday evening. IMD scientists said the rain could raise river levels and flood low-lying areas, especially where wet weather has already persisted. Khurda has closed all schools from Tuesday to Thursday, Ganjam has shut government, government-aided and private schools for the same period, Jagatsinghpur has closed all schools and anganwadi centres on Tuesday, and Gajapati has ordered both schools and anganwadi centres shut from Tuesday to Thursday.

Cyclone Naming Rules

The next cyclone in the North Indian Ocean will be called Arnab, according to the list of storm names. The word means "ocean" in Bengali. Bangladesh proposed the name for the regional tropical cyclone roster kept by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the IMD.

According to the IMD website, the weather department classifies low-pressure systems based on their intensity, using pressure patterns over land and maximum sustained wind speed over the sea. A system is classified as a low-pressure area when it has one closed isobar, while a depression has two and a deep depression has three. A system with four or more closed isobars is classified as a cyclonic storm.

Based on wind speed, a system with maximum sustained three-minute surface winds of 17-27 knots (31-50 kmph) is called a depression, while 28-33 knots (52-61 kmph) is classified as a deep depression. Once maximum sustained winds reach 34 knots (63 kmph) or more, the system is classified as a cyclonic storm. Thus, a low-pressure area does not automatically mean a cyclone; it must intensify and cross the prescribed thresholds to be classified as one.