Bhubaneswar: Cyclonic storm Roanu spared Odisha from its wrath and is now moving away from the coast. As per the latest update from the Met department, the cyclonic storm, which had formed in North-West Bay of Bengal, is now moving in the east and north east direction, 400 kms away from the Paradip Coast. The storm is now centered at around 435 km away from Chittagong in Bangladesh. Currently, the wind speed measured is at around 40 KMPH. The cyclone is expected to cross Bangladesh coast near Khepupara and Cox Bazaar this evening.
According to MET sources, there is no imminent danger to Odisha from Roanu. However, Odisha is expected to experience continuous rains in the next 24 hours. As per the IMD Delhi forecast, certain parts of Odisha are likely to witness heavy rains. Similarly, in the next 36 hours, rains are expected in West Bengal, Assam, Manipur and Tripura under its influence.
“The Cyclonic storm is now around 160 KM away from Paradip and is moving at a speed of 40 KMPH. There won’t be any significant effect on land. However, in North Odisha, the depth of the sea is low. Hence under the influence of the storm, the sea could experience tides up to 1-1.5 meters high. Rains are expected in coastal parts of North Odisha. However, there are no indications of heavy rainfall, though the cloud mass formed under the influence of the cyclone is likely to bring in rain in sporadic places. The warning for fishermen not to venture into the sea still stands because though the storm has moved quite far, Odisha coast is still experiencing wind speeds up to 40 KMPH. The wind speeds are expected to gradually come down. The storm is now very close to the West Bengal-Bangladesh border and is expected to cross over at Chittagong. In Odisha, the weather will become clearer as afternoon approaches and temperatures are like to go up from here,” said director of regional Meteorological Centre, Sarat Sahu.
Many parts of Odisha experienced rains yesterday under the influence of cyclonic storm Roanu. Paradip saw 164 mm rainfall, followed by 86 mm in Puri and 31 mm in Bhubaneswar.