Bhubaneswar: With the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani moving closer to the Odisha coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in 17 districts of the state in the next 24 hours.
“The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, over the west-central Bay of Bengal, moved north-northeastwards at a speed of about 17kmph in the last six hours and lay centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 320km south-southwest of Puri, 170km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 610km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal). It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, around Puri by noon on May 3 with a maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180kmph, gusting to 200kmph. The cyclone is being tracked by Doppler weather radars in Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Machilipatnam,” said the IMD in an afternoon release on Thursday.
Under the influence of the cyclonic storm, the national weather agency has sounded red, orange and yellow warning for three days from May 2 for the districts as mentioned below:
May 2 (Red warning)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely at a few places over Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha, Koraput, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts of Odisha with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam (Intense heavy rainfall likely to commence from the midnight on Thursday).
May 2 (Orange warning)
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over the districts of Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Boudh, (Intense rainfall likely to commence from today late night) and Malkangiri (Intense rain from Thursday evening).
May 3 (Red warning)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely at a few places over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghapur, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over districts of Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghapur, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and Mayurbhanj.
May 3 (Yellow warning)
Heavy rainfall at isolated places over the districts of Boudh, Kalahandi, Sambalpur and Deogarh.
May 4 (Orange warning)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the districts of Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj.
May 4 (Yellow warning)
Heavy rainfall at isolated places over the districts of Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara.
The IMD has also advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast till May 4, as the sea conditions are very likely to be very rough to high along and off the coast from the early hours of May 2 and become high to phenomenal from May 2 to 4.
In view of the approaching cyclonic storm, local bad weather signal no. IV has been hoisted at all ports of Odisha.
