Cyclone Gulab makes landfall in Andhra, Odisha gets moderate rainfall

Odisha on Sunday experienced light to moderate rainfall as Cyclone Gulab made landfall in Andhra Pradesh, about 95 kilometres from Gopalpur.

As a precautionary measure, the Odisha government had evacuated a large number of people to safer places, officials said.

The landfall happened at Miduguda and Tokali villages near Kalingapatnam town in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

During the landfall, the wind speed of the cyclone at Kalingapatanam was about 90 kmph while it was 30 kmph at Gopalpur in Odisha, he added.

The system is now expected to enter Odisha’s Koraput district before moving towards Chhattisgarh on Monday.

“The cyclone has completed landfall. It will enter Odisha’s Koraput district at around midnight and will weaken to a deep depression in the next six hours.

“There is a possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati and the wind speed will remain 50 to 60 kmph,” Bhubaneswar Met Centre Director HR Biswas was quoted as saying.

*IMD update: “The Cyclonic Storm GULAB crossed north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, about 20 km north of Kalingapatnam and lay centred at 20:30 hrs IST of 26th Sep 2021 over north Andhra Pradesh.”

*IMD updates: “The cloud bands are entering the coastal regions and thus the landfall process which commenced at around 1800 HRS IST, continues and will continue for the next 2-3 hours over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south coastal Odisha.

“The system is lying close to coast and the centre is about 25km to th east of the expected landfall point.”

*Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar updates: “The cloud bands have touched coastal regions and thus the landfall process has commenced over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south coastal Odisha. System will cross coasts between Kalingapatnam & Gopalpur, about 25 km to north of Kalingapatnam during next 3 hours.”

*IMD update: “Cyclonic storm GULAB centered at 1630 IST of 26th Sep. about 85 km east-northeast of Kalingapattnam and 95 km south of Goplapur. To cross between Kalingapatnam & Gopalpur as a cyclonic storm by midnight of today. Landfall process will commence around 1800 IST of today.”

*Update from IMD: “The cyclonic storm Gulab centered at 1430 hers IST of 26th Sept, 2021 near 18.4°N/85.3°E, about 130km east-northeast of Kalingapatnam, 110km east-southeast of Gopalpur. Crossing between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur, with wind speed of 75-85 gusting to 95 KMPH, by midnight.”

Also read:

Cyclone Gulab: Full list of trains cancelled, diverted and short-terminated

Cyclone Gulab: How did it get the name?

*Update from IMD: “Gulab is likely to move nearly westwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur as a cyclonic storm by mid-night of today (26 September). The landfall process will commence from evening of today.”

*IMD reports “Cyclone Gulab centered near 18.4°N/86.4°http://E to cross north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam & Gopalpur, as a CS around midnight of today.”

*“Southern Odisha will be affected due to cyclonic storm Gulab. We have issued extremely heavy rainfall and wind warnings. Power and communications infrastructure could be affected due to the cyclonic storm,” said HR Biswas, Director, IMD Bhubaneswar.

*“The Deep Depression over northwest & adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards intensified into Cyclonic Storm Gulab and lay centered at 1730 hrs IST of 25th Sep, over northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal near about 370 km east-southeast of Gopalpur,” IMD has said.

*Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on the preparedness in wake of the weather office report on cyclone alert and directed the officials to take all necessary steps: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Reported by ANI:

*National Crisis Management Committee under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba reviewed today preparedness of Central ministries/agencies and State governments to deal with the situation arising out of a cyclonic storm developing in the Bay of Bengal.

*Chief Secretaries of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh apprised the Committee of the preparatory measures being undertaken to protect the population and also measures being taken to ensure that there is minimal damage to infrastructure in the aftermath of the cyclonic storm.

*NDRF has deployed 18 teams in these states and additional teams are also kept ready. Rescue and relief teams of the Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft have also been deployed.

*Cabinet Secretary stressed that preventive & precautionary measures should be taken by the concerned authorities of the State Govts/ Centre, before the cyclonic storm makes landfall, as the aim should be to keep loss of lives to near zero and minimise damage to infrastructure.

*In view of very heavy rainfall alert due to deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, West Bengal has cancelled leave of all state government employees with immediate effect till October 5, ANI has reported.

*13 disaster relief teams to be deployed in Odisha and five teams to be deployed in Andhra Pradesh in view of cyclone alert in both states, reports ANI quoting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

*Pradeep Jena held emergency talks with the Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri and Kandhamal district commissioners to check the preprations ahead of the cyclone.

*“Adequate awareness is being made about the cyclonic storm. All concerned officers are being mobilised. Collectors have assured to take all actions,” said Odisha State Disaster Management Authority Managing Director Pradeep Kumar Jena on Twitter.

*With cyclone Gulab to make landfall tomorrow, Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar has issued a seven-day weather forecast for the Odisha capital.

*Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar, India Meteorological Department has also sounded a heavy wind warning for tomorrow.

*“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.

Rainfall warning

September 25: The deep depression today is expected to cause light to moderate rainfall at many places in Odisha and with heavy rainfall at isolated places in the state.

September 26: As the deep depression is going to turn into a cyclonic storm on Sunday, light to moderate rainfall will occur at most places and heavy to very heavy rain is expected at few places and extremely heavy rainfall is predicted at isolated places in Odisha.

September 27: A day after the landing of cyclone Gulab, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places in the state.

*IMD has issued a yellow alert for cyclones at both locations for north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts. Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea till Monday due to the bad weather.

Cyclone Gulab: All you need to know

*The deep depression today is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in next 12 hours and will cross South Odisha north Andhra Pradesh coasts around Kalingapatnam by September 26 evening, the IMD said in a statement on Saturday.

*The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a bulletin forecasting the intensification of a presently developing low pressure system into a cyclone in parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.