Cyclone update: Wind speed to rise from May 10, heavy rain alert for 4 Odisha districts

Even though the impending cyclonic storm from Bay of Bengal is unlikely to make landfall in Odisha, it may trigger heavy rainfall coupled with gusty winds in some parts of the State, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Saturday said, “The cyclone will not make landfall as the system is more likely to move parallel to Odisha- Andhra coast.”

The Bhubaneswar Regional Met Centre, IMD has said that the well-marked low pressure system over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman sea has turned into a depression.

The system will subsequently intensify into a cyclonic storm over eastcentral Bay of Bengal by May 8 (tomorrow).

The system is likely to continue to move northwestwards till May 10 evening and reach west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast.

“Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast,” said IMD.

According to Senior Scientist of the IMD's Regional Met Centre in Bhubaneswar, Umashankar Das, the wind speed over Odisha, north Andhra Pradesh will be around 60 kmph from May 10. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea due to rough conditions. 

“Several parts of coastal Odisha will experience light to moderate rainfall under the influence of the cyclonic storm. We have issued heavy rainfall alert for three districts-, Ganjam, Puri and Gajapati districts (7-11cm) on May 10,” Das added.

The weather agency has forecast heavy rainfall for the districts of Ganjam, Khordha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack in the range of 7-11cm.