Cyclone to hit Odisha, AP coast tonight: IMD

A cyclone will hit the coasts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on late on Thursday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

A deep depression is moving at a speed of about 12 kmph and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours, the cyclone warning division of IMD said in the evening on Thursday.

The depression, which was initially over west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas, moved westward and intensified into a deep depression, IMD said in a bulletin, adding that the depression lay centred at about 300 km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha.

"It (the depression) is very likely to move west-northwestwards. It will cross south Odisha ­north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Kalingapatnam and Puri (Odisha) close to Gopalpur around midnight as a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 60 kmph to 70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph," Mritunjay Mohapatra, Additional Director General of the IMD, said.

The IMD's advisory said the sea will be very rough over central and north Bay of Bengal and off the Odisha, West Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh coasts.

There will also be a storm surge of about 0.5 metres above astronomical tides and it is likely to inundate low lying areas of districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesha and Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda and Puri districts in Odisha at the time of landfall.

While heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Odisha since Wednesday, rain and thundershower are likely to occur in the next 48 hours and it will ease thereafter, the IMD said.

The depression caused heavy rainfall in Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Ganjam, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jajpur districts on Thursday, a MeT official said.

Under the depression's impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at some places in Rayagada, Kalahandi, Koraput and Nabarangpur districts till Friday, an IMD bulletin said.

The low pressure system is also likely to trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall in districts like Balangir, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj on Friday, the MeT centre here said.

In view of adverse weather conditions, the MeT office advised suspension of fishing operations and asked fishermen not to venture into the sea till Friday.

Meanwhile, danger signal no-3 has been hoisted in all ports of Odisha.

Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi has already asked all concerned to remain alert, closely monitor the situation and keep the administrative machinery in full preparedness to meet any eventuality and ensure functioning of control room round-the-clock.

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