IMD predicts that Cyclone Yaas will hit north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May.
Cyclonic storm Yaas will make landfall near Dhamra Port in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Wednesday morning, according to the Met department. Dr Umashankar Das, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said that the landfall will most likely be between Dhamra and Chandbali in the district.
The system will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Monday night. It will further intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by tomorrow morning. At the time of landfall near Balasore, wind speed will reach 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, along and off Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts in Odisha and in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.
Yaas will lead to storm surge on the coasts of Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak in Odisha. It will also cause a storm surge of two to four metres along the coastline of East Midnapore and one to two metres in the South 24 Parganas district. The department said that coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas of West Bengal will experience around 100 kmph wind speed. The speed of wind will be around 90 kmph in Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly.
IMD Director General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that 'Yaas' is likely to intensify into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) by Tuesday evening and Chandbali is likely to witness the maximum damage caused by it.
"Extremely heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore for today and tomorrow. Orange alert- heavy to very heavy rainfall expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda and Puri today," IMD Bhubaneswar said in a statement, ANI reported. People were evacuated by Odisha's Balasore district administration and Marine Police Force in Chandipur today.
"Rain has already started and will continue. Wind speeds in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts will reach around 80 kmph by midnight," he said. He said the impact will be severe for six hours before and after the landfall. "Big trees and electric poles may get uprooted. Chandbali is likely to witness the maximum damage due to the cyclone," Mohapatra added.
Several coastal districts in West Bengal like East and West Midnapore, South and North 24 Parganas, along with Howrah and Hooghly are experiencing light to moderate rainfall. The Met department predicted heavy to a very heavy downpour at one or two places owing to the system on Monday evening.
The Met department has warned and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till further information, saying sea conditions will be very rough to phenomenal on Wednesday.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked its highest-ever number of teams for deployment in Odisha and West Bengal as part of its preparations for the impending cyclone Yaas, a senior officer said on Tuesday. The federal contingency force has committed a total of 112 teams for deployment in five states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which are expected to be affected by the cyclone developing in the Bay of Bengal.
Out of these, the highest the number of 52 teams are designated for Odisha followed by 45 teams for West Bengal. The rest of the teams are being stationed in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Satellite image provided by NASA shows Cyclone Yaas approaching India's eastern coast.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has rushed Minister of State for Home, D S Mishra to Balasore to monitor the situation in the northern parts of the state. According to a PTI report, evacuation process is underway in full swing in the coastal districts and over 50,000 people have been taken to safe shelters till noon. The evacuation of people is being carried out keeping in view the IMD's warning of a tidal surge of around 2-4.5 metres during the landfall.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of states and agencies to deal with the cyclone. Yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting with Chief Ministers of coastal states and agencies to review the situation.
Also Read: Odisha, Bengal brace for Cyclone Yaas; to intensify into 'very severe cyclonic storm' in next 12 hrs
Also Read: Cyclone Yaas: Locals evacuated to shelter homes in Odisha
