Many households in northern and coastal Odisha had only just cleared the layers of mud and debris left behind by the first flood when the second deluge arrived.
Low-pressure systems and depressions are a normal feature of the southwest monsoon. “The very slow movement of the system has brought a huge amount of rainfall, leading to flood conditions across the state. The weather pattern has been reinforced by the position of the monsoon trough. After those circulations form, rain continues. With rivers already running high, rainfall in neighbouring states and releases of excess water from upstream areas added to the pressure. Rivers crossed danger marks at several locations, while embankment pressure, localised breaches and waterlogging compounded the impact in low-lying areas.
Data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that July 2026 recorded 24 days affected by low-pressure systems over India, against a normal of about 13.5 days, the highest such figure since 2017. “Because of the monsoon trough, it favours the creation of small cyclonic circulations due to changes in the wind patterns.
But meteorologists said their persistence and slow movement this year have resulted in prolonged spells of heavy rain over Odisha. “A low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal on July 25 and intensified into a depression a day later, but instead of moving inland quickly, it travelled less than 500 km over four days, reaching near Jharsuguda,” said Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist Umasankar Das. Senior meteorologist of Bhubanewar-based SOA University Sarat Sahoo said the trough, which normally extends from Ganganagar to the Bay of Bengal through parts of north India and West Bengal, has remained close to Odisha and West Bengal. Since the monsoon trough is staying almost in the same position, rain is continuing in Odisha almost every day,” Sahoo said. New Delhi-based thinktank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said Odisha’s long coastline and heavy dependence on the monsoon make the state particularly vulnerable to extreme rainfall, heat and humidity, as well as prolonged dry spells.
