VISAKHAPATNAM/NEW DELHI : Cyclone ‘Fani’ intensified into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ on Monday evening and is headed towards the Odisha coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. It could take a shape of an ‘extremely severe cyclone’ by Wednesday, prompting the government to put the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert, officials said.
In its 9 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said the storm currently lays about 900 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam.
“The Cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ over Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 16 kilometres per hour in last six hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm.
It is very likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha coast,” the bulletin said.
The NCMC assured the State govts concerned of all assistance from the central govt to face the storm. Light to moderate rainfall at a few places is very likely over north coastal AP and south coastal Odisha on Thursday.The precipitation is likely to increase with ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall’ at isolated places in north coastal AP from Thursday.
AP CS LV Subramanyam said the State government is taking all measures to face Cyclone Fani.
Going by the forecasts by the IMD, Sinha urged the officials of four coastal states,TN, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal to be on alert.