Bhubaneswar: A low pressure area over the north Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal is likely to trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall, along with thunderstorm and lightning, across several districts of Odisha from June 28 to July 4, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

An upper air cyclonic circulation persists over southwest Bangladesh and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal extending up to 7.6 km above mean sea level. Under its influence, the low pressure area is expected to form over the same region during the next 48 hours.

The system is likely to move slowly in a west-northwestward direction across Gangetic West Bengal, north Odisha and Jharkhand. Squally weather with wind speed reaching up to 35-45 kmph gusting up to 55 kmph is likely to prevail along and off Odisha coast between June 28 and July 1, the IMD said. Sea conditions are expected to remain rough to very rough and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea during this period.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places in Jajpur, Puri, Khurda. Nayagarh, Deogarh, Nuapada, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Sonepur and Jharsuguda districts. It has also issued yellow and orange warnings for several districts.

Moreover, heavy to very heavy rainfall, along with thunderstorm, gusty surface winds reaching speed of 30-40 kmph, is likely to occur at one or two places in Mayurbhanj, Balasore and Bhadrak. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind (30-40 kmph) are also likely at one or two places in Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Deogarh, the IMD said.