Rail, road and air services are likely to be disrupted in Odisha and coastal AP.
The eye of the storm is expected to hit land at around 5:30 pm Saturday near Berhampur in Ganjam district, 160 km south of Bhubaneswar.
Met department has predicted a maximum wind speed of 235 kmph, but international storm watches say the windspeed could go up to 315 kmph, worse than Hurricane Katrina.
The districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Nayagarh and Khurda are expected to be the worst hit.
There have been reports of panic buying of foodstuffs in the stores of Bhubaneswar. Cyclone warnings are being broadcast through loudspeakers and on radio and TV.
