Cyclone Asani won't make landfall in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh but move parallel to coast: IMD

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department on Saturday (May 7, 2022) informed that the cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal will not make landfall in either Odisha or Andhra Pradesh, but will move parallel to the coast.

The Met Office said that the system has turned into a deep depression over Southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea, and is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm on Sunday morning.

Odisha Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said that the low pressure has converted into a depression located almost 1,300 km from southeast of Puri moving in northwest direction and will be a depression by May 10.

It lay centred about 280 km west-northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands), 290 km southwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 1140 km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 1180 km south-southeast of Puri (Odisha) at 5:30 pm on Saturday, the IMD said.

IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that the deep depression will recurve and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal after nearing the North Andhra-Odisha coast. 

"The system is moving towards the coast in the north-westwards direction. It will continue to move in that direction till May 10 evening, and thereafter recurve in the sea north-northeastwards and move parallel to the coast," Mohapatra said in Bhubaneswar.

ALSO READ | Cyclone Asani: 18 Odisha districts on alert, heavy rainfall expected in Bengal - key updates

Rainfall expected on May 10-11

Meanwhile, Jena informed that rainfall is expected in Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri in Odisha on May 10 and 11. 

"Low pressure has converted into a depression located almost 1,300 km from southeast of Puri moving in northwest direction and will be a depression by May 10th. Rainfall is expected in Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri on May 10th and 11th," Jena said.

Rough sea conditions

The weather department also stated that the sea conditions near the Odisha coast will become rough on May 9 and rougher on May 10. The wind speed in the sea will increase to 80-90 kmph on May 10.“The windy conditions will prevail till May 11 and reduce thereafter," Mohapatra said.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea and along and off West Bengal and Odisha coasts from May 10 till further notice, Met department head in Kolkata Sanjib Bandyopadhyay said.

Cyclone preparedness

The governments of Odisha and West Bengal have taken all precautionary measures to deal with the possible situation.

The Odisha government stated that even though the cyclone will not make landfall in the state, it will still not lower the preparation to deal with the possible situation and will keep cyclone shelters ready to house as many as 7.5 lakh people, if evacuated for the purpose.

Director-General of Fire Service, SK Upadhaya, said that the department is all prepared for rescue and relief operations with the latest equipment in the wake of a cyclone. Officials also said the personnel of response teams been kept in readiness and a decision on their deployment will be taken after a more clear picture emerges.

Cyclone Asani

If the weather system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called Asani, Sinhalese for 'wrath'. This would be the first cyclonic storm of the season as a similar weather event in March had fizzled out before it could acquire the strength of a cyclone.

(With agency inputs)