Bhubaneswar: The landfall process of Cyclone Gulab will begin at 6 pm and end by midnight, Director General of India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mrutyunjay Mohapatra informed on Sunday.
He said that IMD continues to stick to its prediction that the system will cross north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur, as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained speed of 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 mph.
“Rain has already started in Odisha. The intensity of rain and wind speed will gradually increase. The current intensity at the centre is 75-85 kmph,” he added.
Mohapatra further said that areas within 100 km of the landfall will experience gusty wind. “The intensity will be the highest in Ganjam and Gajapati districts but it will remain within the predicted range. When the cyclone will move further, its impact will be felt in Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Koraput with wind speed touching 55-66kmph and gusting to 75 kmph,” he said.
In Khurda and Puri districts, the wind speed will be 55-65 kmph, he added.
“The damage will be mostly because of rain and wind speed. Since the coast is steep here, the tidal surge will be about 0.5 metres only,” he said.
At 4.30 pm, the cyclonic storm was about 85 km east-northeast of Kalingapattnum and 95 km south of Gopalpur. The wind speed reported at Puri and Gopalpur was 31 kmph and 26 kmph respectively.
Also Read: Cyclone Gulab To Cross Odisha Coast Between Chikiti & Chatrapur! Another LOPRA This Week
The Odisha government has mobilised men and machinery to evacuate people from low-lying areas in seven identified districts in the southern parts of the state.
Also Read: IMD Boss Mrutyunjay Mohapatra’s ‘Stormy’ Story
