Cyclone Gulab: All you need to know about the cyclonic storm in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a cyclone alert for southern parts of Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh districts.

A depression formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal on Friday and intensified into a deep depression on Saturday and is likely to further intensify into a cyclone over the next 12 hours, the IMD said.

Cyclone ‘Gulab’ is likely to cross the two states on India’s eastern coast with a wind speed of 70 to 80 kmph which can go upto 90kmph speed on Sunday evening.

An IMD bulletin said that the deep depression has moved westwards with a speed of 12kmph in the last six hours and intensified into a deep depression.

“At 5.30am, it lay centered over north and adjoining east central Bay of Bengal near, about 510km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 590km east-northeast of Andhra Pradesh’s Kalingapatnam,” the IMD’s statement read.

“Depression intensified into a Deep Depression over North and adjacent central BoB, likely to intensify into a CS next 12 hours and to cross south Odisha north Andhra Pradesh coasts around Kalingapatnam by September 26 evening,” IMD tweeted.

In the wake of the approaching storm, the IMD has forecast light to moderate intensity (2.4mm to 644mm in 24-hours) rainfall over West Bengal, Odisha and coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. On Sunday, the Met Office has warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rain (115.6mm to over 204.4mm in 24-hours) over south Odisha, north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Due to rough sea conditions and intense winds, fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea till Monday.

This will be the sixth cyclonic circulation in the state since the last week of August. Though the formation of the system is quite common, the frequency at which they have been originating of late is very unusual, reported The Weather Channel.