IMD advises people in Odisha to stay away from cyclone rumours

The Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, Wednesday, said the IMD has not issued any kind of forecast for a cyclone so far and advised people of Odisha to stay away from rumours regarding a possible cyclonic storm in the coastal state.

“The India Meteorological Department has not made any forecast on the cyclone or even given any indication in this regard. Please keep away from the rumour,” the IMD’s regional centre here tweeted.

It is not scientific to make a forecast on any weather condition seven days before its occurrence, the weather agency said.

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“We are working 24 hours a day to provide accurate weather-related information. So please stay away from rumours,” it said.

IMD Director General Dr Mrutunjay Mohapatra said that there is no forecast for a cyclone in the next seven days and no threat for Odisha.

“A cyclonic circulation has formed over the north Andaman Sea yesterday, which is gradually weakening. There is a likelihood of the formation of another similar system around October 17-18.

"Today's forecast indicates a concentration of the system into low pressure. According to our analysis, there are no chances of intensification of the system into a cyclone,” he told Odia news channels.

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There is no possible threat to Odisha, Dr. Mohapatra told the news channel adding that IMD is known for its ‘pinpoint’ accuracy in cyclone prediction.

The IMD’s advisory came after social media was agog with the buzz about the formation of a cyclone over the Bay of Bengal.

Senior weather scientist Umashankar Dash said “The IMD has just indicated the formation of cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal between October 14 and October 20. All cyclonic circulations do not take the shape of the cyclone.”

On October 10, the director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, Dr. HR Biswas at a meeting with state government officials said that there was no possibility of any cyclone in Odisha in the next 15 days.

Meanwhile, a senior official at Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office appealed to the media not to report any such news that will create panic among people.

"If we get any information regarding the cyclone from IMD, Bhubaneswar, the government will share it with you,” he said.

The rumour emerged after a Ph.D. researcher on weather and climate at Saskatchewan University in Canada, made a prediction in this regard.

“A depression is likely to form on October 17, which is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 18,” the researcher was quoted by an Indian newspaper.