North Odisha districts to experience 125 km gale winds

BHUBANESWAR:  The India Meteorological Department downgraded Amphan from a super cyclone to an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday but cautioned that the storm has the potential to cause widespread damage in north coastal districts when it goes past the coast onto West Bengal-Bangladesh border on Wednesday.

Director-General of IMD Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said though downgraded, it is expected to trigger damage in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts where strong wind gusting up to 95 km per hour will prevail on Wednesday morning. 

It may pick up speed to 125 km thereafter as the storm approaches the landfall. Districts liks Puri, Khurda, Cuttack and Jajpur would witness wind reaching 75 km during the period. People have been advised to stay indoors in the north coastal districts.

“Rainfall activity and winds will increase in the State from 11 pm onwards on Tuesday and continue till the cyclone makes landfall,” said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist, Umasankar Das. Amphan is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon or evening with winds gusting up to 185 km. The system’s eye will have a diameter of about 35 km. Strong winds prevailed in Paradip in the evening, while the State Capital experienced rainfall under the tropical storm’s influence.