BHUBANESWAR: Could the next cyclone over the North Indian Ocean be called Arnab? The name is next on the regional cyclone-naming roster, but the weather system currently over the Bay of Bengal is still a depression and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said it is likely to intensify only into a deep depression, not a cyclone.The depression, which lay over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, was around 220 km from Odisha’s Gopalpur and 320 km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.It is expected to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a deep depression over the next 12 hours.The system is likely to cross the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur during the night of September 23 and early hours of September 24.IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in southern and coastal Odisha, with isolated extremely heavy rain in some areas.
Odisha shuts schools as rain lashes state
Heavy rain triggered by the depression lashed coastal and southern Odisha on Tuesday, prompting district administrations to shut schools and anganwadi centres in several areas.Schools were closed for the day in Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati, while Malkangiri ordered schools to remain closed till September 24. Anganwadi centres will also remain closed in the affected areas.Teachers and other staff, however, have been asked to report to schools, with principals instructed to maintain roster duties so the buildings remain accessible round the clock in case of an emergency.The National Rural Talent Scholarship examination scheduled for Tuesday will be held as planned at designated centres.
11 Odisha districts on high alert
Odisha chief secretary Anu Garg said collectors of 11 districts had been put on high alert following the IMD warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the southern and coastal parts of the state.Authorities have kept cyclone and flood shelters ready and are preparing for possible waterlogging, urban flooding, landslides and mudslides.Government employees’ leave has also been cancelled in Ganjam, Koraput and Kalahandi, while teachers in Koraput and Kalahandi have been directed not to leave their places of posting until September 25.Vehicular movement has been restricted on some roads, including Kalinga Ghat between Ganjam and Kandhamal. Ferry services between Satapada and Jahnikuda in Chilika Lake will remain suspended until September 25.
Red alert for southern Odisha
IMD has issued a red alert for parts of southern Odisha from September 23 to 25. Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain, with extremely heavy rain at isolated places, on September 23 and 24.Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri are under red alert for September 24 and 25. Rainfall is expected to continue in parts of the state until September 25.Squalls with winds gusting up to 75 kmph are also likely along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts from the morning of September 23 to the evening of September 24.
So, what is Cyclone Arnab ?
Arnab is not the name of the current depression. It is the next unused name in the predetermined list of tropical cyclone names for the North Indian Ocean.The list is maintained under the WMO/ESCAP Panel on tropical cyclones, with names contributed by member countries.Arnab was contributed by Bangladesh and appears in the roster after the names already used in the current sequence.A system gets a cyclone name only after reaching the required intensity. So, if a future system reaches tropical-cyclone intensity and Arnab is next in sequence, it will be called Cyclone Arnab.For the present Odisha system, IMD has said it is expected to become a deep depression rather than a cyclone.
