Cyclone will not make landfall on Odisha or Andhra Pradesh but…: Check IMD update

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday announced that the cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal will not make landfall in either Odisha or Andhra Pradesh, but will move parallel to the coast.

The system, which has turned into a deep depression over Southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea, is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on Sunday morning.

READ | Tornado in Barpeta district before cyclone hits Assam, check video

It lay centred about 280 km west-northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands), 290 km southwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 1140 km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 1180 km south-southeast of Puri (Odisha) at 5:30 pm on Saturday, the IMD said.

It will recurve and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal after nearing the North Andhra-Odisha coast, IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

"The system is moving towards the coast in the north-westwards direction. It will continue to move in that direction till May 10 evening, and thereafter recurve in the sea north-northeastwards and move parallel to the coast," Mohapatra said in Bhubaneswar.

It has moved north-westwards with a speed of 20 kmph. Coastal districts of Odisha and the southern part of West Bengal, including the state capital Kolkata, are likely to be lashed by light to moderate rain from Tuesday, the IMD said.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea and along and off West Bengal and Odisha coasts from May 10 till further notice, Met department head in Kolkata Sanjib Bandyopadhyay said.

The governments of Odisha and West Bengal have taken all precautionary measures to deal with the possible situation.

Cyclone Asani

If the weather system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called Asani, Sinhalese for 'wrath'. This would be the first cyclonic storm of the season as a similar weather event in March had fizzled out before it could acquire the strength of a cyclone.

READ | In pics: India’s first semi high speed regional train for Delhi-Meerut corridor

May 9, 10

The sea conditions near the Odisha coast will become rough on May 9 and rougher on May 10. The wind speed in the sea will increase to 80-90 kmph on May 10.

The windy conditions will prevail till May 11 and reduce thereafter," Mohapatra said.

Under its impact, Odisha's coastal districts such as Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Puri will receive light to moderate rainfall after May 10 evening, he added.

(With PTI inputs)