Cyclone to maintain intensity for next six hours: IMD

Cyclone Phailin, which made landfall with a windspeed of 200 kmph near Gopalpur town in Odisha tonight, is likely to maintain the intensity of a very severe cyclonic storm for six hours, the IMD said.

Gopalpur in Ganjam district was experiencing heavy rains and the cyclone is likely to move northwestwards across interior Odisha after about six hours bringing heavy to very heavy rain at some places in the state, it said.

Squalls with wind speeds reaching 100-120 kmph would occur for another six hours which would lessen to 60-70 kmph in the subsequent six hours, it said.

Extremely heavy rains would occur in Ganjam, Puri, Gajapati, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts on the coast during the next 48 hours, the IMD said.

The sea off the coast would be lashed by waves 3.0 to 3.5 metre high which could inundate low-lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts, it said.

The Great Danger Signal Number Ten was hoisted at Gopalpur and Puri and Great Danger Signal Number Nine at Paradip and Chandbali.