Very severe cyclone ‘Yaas’ has started its elaborate landfall process from 9 am this (Wednesday) morning and is expected to cross the North Odisha-West Bengal coast to the South of Balasore in three hours (by around 12 noon) exactly as India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted.
At 10:30 am, the IMD located the storm centre over the North-West bay of Bengal within striking distance (about 45 km) of North-North-East of Dhamra; 60 km South-West of Digha; 40 km South-South-East of Balasore.
Buffeted by high winds
The prevailing wind speeds are 130-140 km/hr gusting to 155 km/hr, making ‘Yaas’ a powerful cyclone but ‘well-behaved’ than erstwhile extremely severe cyclone ‘Tauktae’ in the Arabian Sea which had kept the weathermen guessing till the last hour with respect to the track and place of landfall.
Wind speeds expected at the time of landfall of 'Yaas' are 130-140 km/hr gusting to 155 km/hr along and off Bhadrak and Balasore; and 100-110 km/hr gusting to 120 km/hr along and off Kendrapara. The wind speeds will decrease gradually after landfall becoming 65-75 km/hr gusting to 85 km/hr by this evening.
The very severe cyclone 'Yaas' is in the process of making an elaborate landfall over the North Odisha-West Bengal coast which is expected to be completed by Wednesday noon.
Image credit: www.meteologix.com/in
Rainfall alert for today
Odisha: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh. Heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh, Sundergarh.
West Bengal: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Medinipur; and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Jhargram, Bankura and South 24 Parganas; Heavy falls at isolated places over Purulia, Nadia, Murshidabad, East Bardhaman, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Haldia, Darjeeling, Kalimpong.
Jharkhand:Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy falls at isolated places today and tomorrow (Wednesday and Thursday).