Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas over BoB intensifies further: IMD

Bhubaneswar: In its latest weather bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today stated Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas intensified into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm over northwest Bay of Bengal.

During past 6 hours the Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas over northwest and Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 15 kmph and lay centred at 1730 hrs IST of today over northwest Bay of Bengal near latitude 19.5°N and longitude 88.0°E, about 160 km east-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 250 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha), 240 km southsoutheast of Digha (West Bengal) and 230 km south of Sagar Islands (West Bengal).

It is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach near north Odisha coast close to Dhamra port by the early morning of May 26. It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Islands close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during noon of May 26 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

The Cyclone is being tracked by Doppler Weather RADAR at Paradip.

Light to moderate rainfall is likely at many places of Odisha with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall (≥ 20 cm) in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore districts, heavy to very heavy rainfall over Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and heavy over Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh districts on May 25.

The IMD further stated heavy to very heavy rains are likely at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh and heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh, Sundergarh on May 26 and heavy falls at isolated places in north interior Odisha on May 27.