By Nageshwar Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, September 22, 2026: Odisha government on Tuesday placed at least seven vulnerable districts on high alert with the Cyclone Arnab set to cross the coast between Gopalpur and Visakhapatnam between Wednesday night and early Thursday .

Several parts of south Odisha witnessed moderate to heavy rain on Tuesday as Koraput recorded the highest rainfall at 82.2 mm till evening, followed by Paralakhemundi with 58 mm. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack also received rain.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Rayagada, Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam districts. On Wednesday, the red warning is likely to extend to Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.

The intense rainfall could trigger water logging, urban flooding and landslides in hilly areas. Heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated spells of extremely heavy rain, is likely to continue for the next two days and may lead to a rise in water levels in several rivers, IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said adding that while the system is expected to weaken from Thursday, rainfall activity is likely to persist across parts of the state.

Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said ODRAF and fire services personnel have been kept on standby in vulnerable districts following IMD’s warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Sept 23 and 24.

Cyclone shelters has been kept ready for possible evacuation and cancelled leave of emergency personnel to ensure prompt response to any adverse situation. Schools and anganwadi centres in districts likely to be affected by heavy rain, including those under red alert, were closed as a precautionary measure.

Officials said 24 of the state’s 33 ODRAF teams have been deployed in vulnerable districts. Six teams each have been stationed in Ganjam and Koraput, while three teams each have been deployed in Gajapati, Malkangiri and Rayagada. Two teams have been positioned in Kalahandi and one in Balangir.