‘Yaas’ very likely to move north-north-westwards, intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm

Yesterday’s Depression over eastcentral Bay of Bengal (BoB) moved west-north-westwards and intensified into a deep depression over the same region in the midnight (2330 hrs IST of 23^rd May). Thereafter, it moved slowly north-north-westwards and intensified into the cyclonic storm “YAAS” over eastcentral BoB in the early morning (0530 hrs IST) of today, the 24^th May, 2021.

                       It lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 24^th May, 2021 over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.4°N and longitude 89.6°E, about 620 km north-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 530 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 630 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha) and 620 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal).

It is very likely to move north-north-westwards, intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 12 hours and into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm during subsequent 24 hours. It would continue to move north-north-westwards, intensify further and reach Northwest Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts by 26^th May early morning. It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar islands around noon of 26^th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

Warnings:

  (i)            Rainfall:   

• North Coastal Andhra Pradesh: Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places on 24^th May and heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places on 25^th May.

• Odisha: Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places over Coastal Odisha on 24^th, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore  districts and heavy over Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj districts on 25^th, heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places  in Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj,  Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh and heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh, Sundergarh on 26^th May and heavy rainfall at isolated places in north interior Odisha on 27^th.

• West Bengal & Sikkim: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall over Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and heavy rainfall at isolated places in Howrah, Hooghly, & north 24 Parganas districts on 25^th, extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Jhargram, Medinipur, south 24 Parganas and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places Purulia, Bankura, Bardhaman, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata , north 24 Parganas, Bhirbhum and heavy falls at isolated places over Nadia, Murshidabad, Darjeeling Districts on 26^th May and heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Malda & Darjeeling,  Dinajpur, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Sikkim and  heavy rain at a few places over Bankura, Purulia, Bardhaman, Bhirbhum & Murshidabad on 27^th May.

• Jharkhand: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy falls at isolated places on 26^th & 27^th May and isolated heavy falls on 28^th May.

• Bihar: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy falls at isolated places on 27^th May and isolated heavy to very heavy falls on 28^th May.

• Assam & Meghalaya: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on 26^th & 27^th May.

    (ii) Wind warning:  

• Gale winds speed reaching 65–75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph prevailing over West central adjoining Eastcentral Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to increase further becoming Gale wind speed reaching 90 – 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph over major parts of central Bay of Bengal by 24th evening and would decrease gradually from 25^th Afternoon.

• Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting 60 kmph is very likely to prevail over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal along and off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha–West Bengal–Bangladesh coasts from 24th afternoon. It would increase gradually becoming 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph from 25th forenoon. It would further increase becoming gale wind speed 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph from 26th early hours over northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off West Bengal & north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts. It would gradually increase further becoming 90-100 gusting to 110 kmph from 26th morning and increase thereafter becoming 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph at the time of landfall.