Cyclone Gulab set to hit Andhra Pradesh, Odisha today

In a rare occurrence during September, a cyclone is set to hit the north Andhra-south Odisha coast on Sunday evening with expected wind speeds gusting up to 95kmph, the IMD has warned. The cyclone, christened ‘Gulab’, intensified from a deep depression over north Bay of Bengal on Saturday afternoon and is expected to make landfall by Sunday around Kalingapatnam, between Vishakhapatnam and Gopalpur, the India Meteorological Department said. IMD has issued a red weather warning for extremely heavy rain in parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, and in south Chhattisgarh on Monday, by when the system may weaken into a depression. The department has also warned of cyclone-related flooding and destruction, including damage to hutments and other structures while adding that power/communication lines and standing crops could take a hit.