A cyclone is set to hit the north Andhra-south Odisha coast on Sunday evening with expected wind speeds gusting up to 95 kmph, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned.
The cyclone, named ‘Gulab’, intensified from a deep depression over north Bay of Bengal on Saturday afternoon and is likely to make landfall between Gopalpur and Kalingapatanam in Andhra Pradesh around midnight.
Also read: Deep depression intensifies into Cyclone Gulab, IMD issues 'orange' alert for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
“The Cyclonic Storm ‘Gulab’ over northwest and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of 26th Sep, over northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal about 270 km east-southeast of Gopalpur & 330 km east of Kalingapatnam,” the IMD’s latest bulletin said.
IMD issued a red alert warning for extremely heavy rain in parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and an orange alert for Chattisgarh and Telangana on Sunday. Meanwhile, a red alert warning has been issued for Chattisgarh on Monday.
The department has also warned of cyclone-related flooding and destruction, including damage to hutments and other structures while adding that power/communication lines and standing crops could take a hit.
Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha and five in Andhra Pradesh, Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General of the relief force told ANI.
Several trains from south Odisha-north Andhra have been cancelled due to cyclone Gulab.“In view of cyclone “Gulab” supposed to be hit between South Odisha & North Andhra Pradesh, it has been decided to cancel, divert, reschedule,regulate & short terminate below mentioned trains as per following” said an East Coast Railway notification.
Gulab is the second cyclonic storm to form over the Bay of Bengal and make landfall over the Andhra-Odisha coast this year. A very severe cyclonic storm named Yaas made its landfall near Balasore in Odisha on May 26. Similarly, in 2018, Cyclone Titli, which had hit Odisha, left many people dead in the subsequent heavy flooding and landslides.
(With agency inputs)
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