IMD issues 'pre-cyclone watch', Odisha on alert

Bhubaneswar, Dec 1 (IANS) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued "pre-cyclone watch" for north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts as a cyclonic storm is likely to approach around December 4 morning.

In a special bulletin, the IMD's Bhubaneswar centre said the low pressure formed on Tuesday over south Thailand and neighbourhood emerged into central Andaman Sea in the same evening.

"It is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by tomorrow (December 2) and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours," the weather bulletin said.

Subsequently, the system is likely to move northwestwards, intensify further and reach near north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts around December 4 morning, it said.

However, the Met department is yet to predict the possible location of landfall of the impending cyclone.

Under its impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur in many parts of coastal and interior Odisha from December 3 to 6 morning.

According to the Met dept, heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur on December 3.

On December 4, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Jajpur districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls at one or two places over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur.

Predicting heavy downpour, an orange warning (be prepared) has also been issued for Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Cuttack, and Puri for December 5.

Some places of Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Khordha, Ganjam and Gajapati districts are also likely to witness heavy rainfall on that day, the Met centre said.

Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph, is likely to commence along and off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast from the midnight of December 3 and increase gradually becoming 70-80 kmph, with gusting to 90 kmph, from December 4 afternoon for the subsequent 12 hours, the IMD said.

The sea condition will be rough to very rough over along and off north Andhra Pradesh- Odisha coast from December 3 midnight and become high to very high from December 4 afternoon, for the subsequent 12 hours.

In view of this, the fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea and those who are at mid sea have been advised to return to the coast by the morning of December 2.

The off-shore and alongshore operations along Odisha coast including ports, ITR Chandipur, the Army Air Defence College, Gopalpur, INS Chilika, the Chilika Development Authority establishment, Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, and ONGC Odisha are advised to be judiciously regulated on December 3 and to be suspended on December 4, to ensure safety of life and property, the Met centre said in its bulletin.

Meanwhile, the state government asked the Agriculture Department to take all possible measures to protect harvested paddy from farmers, while the Fisheries Department was directed to strictly implement the advisory for fishermen, said Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Jena.