Odisha Shuts Schools in Four Districts as Depression Nears Coast

Odisha shut schools and anganwadi centres in Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati on Tuesday, with Malkangiri ordering closures through September 24, as the Bay of Bengal depression this site covered on Monday has moved from forecast to reality. As of 11:30 am on September 22, the system sat about 220 km from Gopalpur and 320 km from Visakhapatnam, moving west-northwest at roughly 8 km/h. IMD still expects it to intensify into a deep depression within about 12 hours and cross the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast, between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, on the night of September 23.

What’s Actually Closed

District	Closure
Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Gajapati	Schools and anganwadis closed Tuesday, September 22
Malkangiri	Schools and anganwadis closed through September 24

Odisha’s Chief Secretary has put 11 districts on high alert and cancelled government employees’ leave. A red alert is in force for southern Odisha from September 23 to 25, with squalls of up to 75 km/h forecast from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening.

The Rain Forecast Has Shifted Since Monday

On Monday, IMD’s extremely heavy rain warning (over 20 cm in a day) named Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri. Tuesday’s update moves that top category to a different pair of districts, Koraput and Malkangiri, while downgrading Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada to heavy-to-very-heavy and Kandhamal to isolated very heavy. Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Baleshwar are now expected to see isolated heavy rain rather than the extreme category.

That shift is normal. A depression’s exact rainfall footprint narrows as it gets closer and its track becomes clearer, and Monday’s own piece flagged the exact landfall point as one of the things not yet settled. It also means Gajapati and Ganjam, in the closure list above because of general disruption and wind risk, are no longer where the single heaviest rain is expected, while Koraput, further inland and southwest, now is.

Still Not a Named Cyclone, Despite One Headline

At least one outlet has floated the name “Cyclone Arnab” for this system, in a headline framed as a question. That is not backed up by the substantive reporting checked for this article, including Odisha’s own Chief Secretary, who was quoted directly saying the system could intensify into a deep depression but not a cyclone. As explained in Monday’s piece, IMD only assigns a name once a system reaches cyclonic storm strength, sustained winds of 34 knots or more; every figure in this article’s sourcing keeps this at depression and deep depression strength, well short of that threshold. Treat any name attached to this system before IMD itself uses one as unconfirmed.

What’s Still Ahead

IMD’s own director has said rain is likely to continue in Odisha until September 25, two days past the expected landfall. No deaths or major damage had been reported as of Tuesday’s coverage. This article will be updated as IMD issues fresh bulletins; for the mechanics behind the depression, deep depression and rainfall category labels used throughout this piece, see Monday’s explainer on what those labels actually mean.

IndiaRealTime’s live pages carry conditions for the districts in today’s forecast: Koraput and Malkangiri, now in the extreme-rain category, plus Khordha and Jagatsinghpur, where schools are shut, and the Odisha state page for the wider picture.

FAQs

Which districts have schools closed today?
Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati closed schools and anganwadis on September 22. Malkangiri has closed them through September 24.

Where is the depression right now?
As of 11:30 am on September 22, about 220 km from Gopalpur, Odisha, and 320 km from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, moving west-northwest at about 8 km/h.

Is it a cyclone yet?
No. It is a depression, expected to become a deep depression, well below the wind-speed threshold IMD uses to name a system.

Which districts face the heaviest rain now?
Koraput and Malkangiri are forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall, replacing Monday’s list of Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri for that top category.

When and where is landfall expected?
Between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, on the night of September 23, as a deep depression.

Sources

• ThePrint: Heavy rain induced by depression lashes Odisha, schools closed
• Pragativadi: Odisha rain alert, schools and anganwadi centres shut in several districts
• Careers360: Schools closed for two days in parts of Odisha amid downpour
• India TV News: Deep depression tracker and landfall update, September 22
• IndiaRealTime: Bay of Bengal Depression Explained as Odisha Braces for Rain

Updated September 22, 2026.