Cyclone Yaas: Storm turns severe; India's eastern coast on high alert
Cyclone Yaas has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and it will cross north Odisha coast around noon on May 26 as a very severe cyclonic storm.
FollowCyclone Yaas intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday night. It is expected to make landfall early on Wednesday. Disaster relief teams have already been deployed in West Bengal and Odisha, which will face the brunt.
The states on India's eastern coast are on alert ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Yaas, which has been brewing in the Bay of Bengal. It comes days after another powerful cyclonic storm Tauktae battered the country's western coast and killed at least 140 people.
In its latest update posted on Twitter, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that severe cyclonic storm "Yaas lay centred about 320 km SSE of Paradip, 430 km SSE of Balasore and is likely to cross north Odisha coast during noon of 26th May as a VSCS (Severe Cyclonic Storm)."
The NDRF has committed 109 teams in six states, including Odisha and West Bengal. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from coastal areas of both the states to safer places. The air force and navy said they have kept some helicopters and vessels ready to carry out relief work.
The storm will lead to intense rain activity in states as far away as Bihar. The Patna Meteorological Centre (PMC) said on Monday that Cyclone Yaas is likely to trigger heavy to extremely heavy rain in the parts of the state in the next two to three days. It has also issued an orange-colour warning for May 27 and 28.
Bihar's neighbour Jharkhand has been placed under red alert category by the weather department. The IMD has predicted extreme rainfall in southern and central parts of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deputed in East Singhbhum and Ranchi districts.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
