Cyclonic Storm Yaas updates: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ Yaas (pronounced as 'Yass') has made landfall close to the north of Dhamra port and south of Balasore district in Odisha at 9 am on Wednesday.
The location of the landfall is close to the coastal area of around 50 km of Balasore, an official said. The wind speed during landfall was ranging between 140 and 155 km and the landfall can take several hours to complete, as per Doppler radar data.
According to officials, Yaas would cross Mayurbhanj and enter Jharkhand around midnight. Nine districts of Odisha state were issued high alert ahead of the landfall. As per the Indian Express report, the IMD said that the landfall process of Cyclone Yaas will take around three hours to complete.
The Odisha state appeared to be facing the brunt of Cyclone Yaas. Watch how the flooding destroyed lands in Bhadrak district here:
#WATCH | Odisha: Water from the sea floods the residential areas in Dhamra of Bhadrak district.
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2021
The landfall process of #CycloneYaas is continuing. It will take around 3 hours to complete. It is 30 km south-southeast of Balasore at 9:30 am, as per IMD's update. pic.twitter.com/j6JMo2f3sa
Cyclonic Storm Yaas updates: Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms predicted in Assam and Meghalaya
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm YAAS to cross Odisha coast between Dhamra and Balasore around noon of 26th May with wind speed of 130-140KMPH.
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 25, 2021
Yaas is powering across the Bay of Bengal and can cause large-scale damage in the eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal, and also Bangladesh, on Wednesday, IMD said. Officials also informed that in Odisha, they had suspended COVID-19 testing, vaccination and door-to-door health survey in many districts that lay directly in the storm's path, Reuters reported.
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 26, 2021
In West Bengal, over nine lakh people from coastal districts have already been moved to safe shelters, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters. The Odisha government said it has moved over three lakh people from vulnerable areas to safety.
Yaas is the second storm to hit India within a week after Cyclone Tauktae. Last week, the rough winds and rains lashed at the Gujarat coast and left a devastating impact all over the western coast, causing mass evacuations and piling up the pressure on authorities trying to tackle a deadly second of coronavirus infections.
Intense convective cloud mass has alraedy entered Odisha coast. Artea of most intense convection is seen in the southwest sector.
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 26, 2021
Featured Image Credit: Economic Times