Bhubaneswar, Dec. 29: Party animals are keeping their fingers crossed with the hope that rain does not spoil their New Year celebrations.

Their concern arises as weathermen have predicted rain both on the New Year eve and the New Year's day. It has warned of heavy rainfall in the coastal areas.

Plans to ring in the New Year are already in place. 'We have plans to observe the Cinderella hour in style, but the rain may act as spoilsport.We are keeping tabs on the weather forecasts. With the cyclone system lying not far away from the state coastline, we can only pray that it either spares Odisha or has the least possible impact on it,' said party enthusiast Soumik Mohapatra.

A Met official said the low-pressure formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal region has turned into a well-marked low-pressure area and was likely to intensify into a deep depression in the next 24 hours. It is moving towards the Indian mainland and will hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts tonight. Under its impact, the coastal areas of both the states as well as that of Odisha will receive heavy rainfall.

The weather remained cloudy for most parts of the day today in the state. To make things worse, another low-pressure system has been formed over the Bay of Bengal - which is going to intensify. A weather official said that in the next two days there was a chance of light to heavy rainfall in various parts of the state. Another low-pressure system, formed over the Arabian Sea on the east coast of Gujarat, is also likely to affect the state's climate.

'The weather will be cloudy for the next two days, and light to heavy rain may occur at few places onDecember 31andJanuary 1,'said Sarat Chandra Shu, director in charge of the meteorological centre, Bhubaneswar.

Party organisers have already invested heavily in organising events to celebrate the New Year. Almost all the hotels, bars and clubs are organising parties. Many people are also planning to hold parties at their homes.

Special relief commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra said they had appealed to farmers to keep their harvest in safe places. 'As it is the harvest season, rain can damage the produce. Besides, district collectors and other officials are being asked to be on the alert,' he said.