Cyclone Yaas: Storm likely to hit West Bengal-Odisha coasts on May 26

Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: A depression in the east-central Bay of Bengal is very likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm with a possible wind speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph and make landfall on May 26 evening between Paradip in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal, the Met department said on Sunday.

The system, which lays 670 km south-southeast of Digha in West Bengal and 590 km east-southeast of Paradip, will cause heavy to very heavy rain in the coastal and interior districts of the two states as it progresses, said Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director of the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata.

The depression will intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24 morning and move in a north-northwesterly direction.

“In subsequent 24 hours, it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and reach north Bay of Bengal near West Bengal-Odisha coasts on May 26 morning,” Bandopadhyay said.

“It will cross into land on May 26 evening between Paradip and Sagar island as a very severe cyclonic storm,” he said, adding that the exact landfall point will be calculated after the system turns into a cyclone.

In West Bengal, the coastal districts of East and West Midnapore, South and North 24 Parganas, along with Howrah and Hooghly will experience light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy to a very heavy downpour at one or two places from May 25.

On May 26, the spread and intensity of rain will increase with the possibility of “extremely heavy rainfall” in Jhargram, East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Kolkata, Bandopadhyay said.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall will occur in Nadia, East, and West Bardhaman, Bankura, Purulia, and Birbhum,” he said.

Heavy rain will also occur in Murshidabad, Malda, and Dakshin Dinajpur districts of the state, he said.

Bandopadhyay said that heavy rain is likely in the sub-Himalayan and western districts of the state on May 27.

Odisha would experience light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall in the north coastal districts from May 25, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Heavy to very heavy rains are likely to occur at a few places in the state with extremely heavy rainfall in districts such as Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj on May 26, it said.

Squally wind speed reaching 40 to 50 km per hour gusting to 60 kmph is very likely to prevail over north Bay of Bengal and along and off Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh coasts from May 24 evening, he said.

The wind speed will gradually increase thereafter, reaching 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph in the afternoon of May 26, Bandyopadhyay said.

“It will increase to 155 to 165 kmph when it crosses the coast on May 26 evening,” the deputy director said.

Light to moderate rainfall will be experienced in most parts of Andaman and Nicobar Island, with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on May 24, the IMD said.

Tidal waves of 1-2 meter height are very likely to inundate low-lying areas of Andaman and Nicobar island on May 24, it said.

Sea conditions will be high to very high in the North Bay of Bengal along and off West Bengal-Odisha-Bangladesh coasts from May 24 to May 26 and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.