Cyclone 'Yaas' to make landfall between Paradeep and Sagar Island: IMD

BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone 'Yaas' over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclone and will cross the coast between Paradeep and Sagar Island on Wednesday, said India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclone with possible wind speed gusting to 185 km per hour may have large-scale damaging impact and would have maximum impact on four coastal districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore.
"The wind speed of 155 to 165 km per hour gusting to 185 km per hour is highly damaging wind speed and can cause large scale damaging impact. Heavy rainfall is expected in coastal districts from Tuesday while the impact of strong wind can be felt six hours before and after the landfall. North Odisha districts are likely to be badly hit in the cyclone," said director general (DG) of IMD Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
He said, in terms of impact cyclone Yaas can be compared with cyclone Tauktae that ravaged the western coast of India last week and a little lesser than cyclone Amphan that hit the eastern coast in May 2020.
"The low pressure area over Bay of Bengal has concentrated into a depression and is located about 700 km away from Balasore and Digha. It would move north and north-eastward and intensify into a cyclone storm by Monday morning. It is very likely to cross north Odisha - West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar islands by evening of May 26 as a very severe cyclonic storm," said IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. The exact point of landfall and wind speed will be ascertained once the system will be ascertained and develops into a cyclonic storm on Monday, IMD sources said.
"There are so many parameters that help in intensification of the cyclonic storm like the temperature of sea surface, how long the system is in the mid-sea, moisture in the atmosphere. The longer it will stay in the sea there are chances of it becoming more severe," Mohapatra added.
As per IMD’s predictions rainfall will begin in coastal districts from Tuesday which will increase up to heavy to very heavy rainfall in districts of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack and Keonjha on Wednesday. Besides, the rain will continue in interior districts of Sundargarh, Deogarh and Keonjhar till Thursday. "Some places may experience heavy rainfall up to 200 mm," the IMD bulletin said.
Squally winds with a speed of 50-60 km per hour will start blowing along and off Odisha coast from Monday and keep increasing beyond 100 km per hour till Wednesday evening.
In the wake of the approaching cyclone IMD’s Regional Centre at Bhubaneswar has issued signal-1 danger warning for all ports in Odisha and fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea from Sunday.