BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone Yaas over the Bay of Bengal is likely to make landfall near Balasore coast on Wednesday noon.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deep depression intensified into cyclonic storm Yaas on Monday morning. It is now moving north-westwards with a speed of 7 kmph in the last six hours and lay centered about 490 km south-southeast of Paradip and 590 km south-southeast of Balasore.
Yaas is likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and into a very severe cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours.
The tropical storm will continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach north-west Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts by Wednesday morning.
"Yaas is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Islands near Balasore coast on Wednesday noon as a very severe cyclonic storm," said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Director HR Biswas.
The rainfall activity commended in the coastal districts on Monday due to the outer band clouds associated with the cyclone.
Under its influence, heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts, light to moderate rainfall or thundershower activity is expected at many places in coastal districts and Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, and at isolated places in interior region on Monday.
The regional Met office has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at few places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda districts, and heavy rainfall at one or two places in Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Ganjam districts on Tuesday.
Most places in coastal Odisha, many places in north interior region and a few places in south interior districts will witness light to moderate rainfall or thundershower activity during the period.
The Met office has issued a red warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts on Wednesday.
Heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Angul, Deogarh, Khurda, Puri and Sundargarh districts during the period.
Similar weather conditions will prevail in Sundargarh, Deogarh and Keonjhar and one or two place in these districts will receive heavy rainfall on Thursday.
Squally wind speed reaching 40 kmph to 50 kmh and gusting up to 60 kmph is likely to prevail over north Bay of Bengal, adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, along and off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal coasts from Monday afternoon.
The wind speed will be increasing gradually, reaching 50 kmph to 60 kmph and gusting up to 70 kmph from Tuesday afternoon.
It will be becoming gale, reaching 60 kmph to 70 kmph and gusting up to 80 kmph over north-west Bay of Bengal, along and off West Bengal, north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts from Wednesday morning.
The wind speed will be reaching 155 kmph to 165 kmph and gusting up to 185 kmph during the cyclone's landfall.
Sea conditions will remain rough and tidal waves of height two to four metre above astronomical tide will likely to inundate low lying coastal areas in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts around the time of landfall.
Fishermen have been asked to not venture into north Bay of Bengal, along and off Odisha coast between Monday and Thursday and the regional Met office hashoisted a signal 4 warning for Paradip and Dhamara ports and signal 3 warning for Gopalpur port.
Yaas has been named by Oman and has reportedly originated from the Persian language meaning 'Jasmin' in English.