- The Bay of Bengal depression caused heavy rain and flooding in Odisha from September 23 onward
- Over 1 lakh people were evacuated in Odisha, with 500 relief centres set up across 13 districts
- Uttar Pradesh recorded 543.8% excess rainfall, causing 56 deaths and damage to over 1,000 houses
The Bay of Bengal deep depression hit India's eastern coast on September 23, bringing heavy rain to Odisha before moving inland towards central and northern India. As it moved, the rain spread across several states, causing flooding and forcing evacuations.
Odisha took the first major hit. More than 1 lakh people were moved to safer locations across 13 flood-affected districts, with over 500 relief centres set up.
In Balasore alone, more than 3.5 lakh people were affected, while 67,266 people were evacuated from low-lying areas. The flooding also forced authorities to open 28 gates of the Hirakud Dam as water levels rose.
The rainfall data shows how strongly the depression affected the state. Between September 23 and 28, Odisha recorded 457.9 per cent excess rainfall. But it was not the highest departure during the period. Uttar Pradesh recorded 543.8 per cent excess rainfall, followed by Chhattisgarh at 498 per cent. Uttarakhand also saw a sharp departure of 399.9 per cent.
The impact was particularly severe in Uttar Pradesh. Heavy rain and storms killed 56 people and injured 46, while more than 1,000 houses were damaged. Bihar also saw flooding and evacuations as heavy rain affected several districts. The rainfall departure for the period stood at 101.8 per cent above normal.
But the rainfall was far from uniform. While the depression dumped large amounts of rain over parts of central and northern India, several regions remained severely deficient.
Haryana recorded an 82.1 per cent rainfall deficit, while Maharashtra recorded a deficit of 57.2 per cent. Maharashtra has declared drought in 74 per cent of the state and around 265 of 358 talukas are affected.
The effect of the late rain spell was also visible in Delhi's temperatures. The southwest monsoon had withdrawn from the capital on September 23, but rain returned as the depression moved inland. On September 27, the Safdarjung area recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.
According to the India Meteorological Department, this was the second-lowest September minimum since 2001, after 20.8 degrees Celsius recorded in 2008.
