Cyclone Jawad To Hit Andhra Pradesh, Odisha By Dec 4. Likely To Trigger Heavy Rainfall In South Bengal

The IMD posted on Twitter that the low-pressure area forming in the south Andaman Sea will intensify into a depression and move towards the Odisha coast as a cyclonic storm on December 4.

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New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert on Wednesday regarding the formation of Cyclone Jawad, which may hit the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on December 4 morning. This cyclone is likely to trigger very heavy rainfall in south Bengal.

The IMD posted on Twitter that the low-pressure area forming in the south Andaman Sea will intensify into a depression and move towards the Odisha coast as a cyclonic storm on December 4.

Accordingly, the West Bengal government has issued a warning to the farmers to reap and bind the corn that is still lying on the fields, because the severe rainfall might cause heavy damage to crops.

"The (National Crisis Management Committee) Cabinet secretary also emphasised that state governments should make all efforts to ensure that fishermen and all vessels at sea are called back immediately and people in areas likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm are evacuated at the earliest," a statement by the Union Home Ministry said according to PTI.

In the alert issued by the state government, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur on December 4 and 5 in several districts of the state, including Kolkata, South and North 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and Jhargram. The met department also predicted that the temperature will rise gradually in all these districts.

A low depression in southern Thailand is gradually gathering strength to form a severe cyclonic storm. It is likely to enter the Indian territory through the South Andaman Sea before making landfall between Odisha and Andhra coast on the morning of December 4. The met department has also predicted that the sea will be rough along the coast of Bengal.

As preventive measures, the government has included a disaster management strategy for rescue and relief operations. National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire department personnel have been requisitioned for the operations.

On Saturday morning, the wind speed on the coast is likely to be around 75 to 80 kmph. The met department has warned the fishermen not to venture into the sea from Friday to Sunday. Those at sea have been instructed to return by Thursday evening.

"The state government is keeping a close watch on the movement of the storm and has asked the district administrations to stay prepared. We are also closely monitoring the situation. The government is fully prepared for any kind of eventuality," a senior state government official said, reported IANS.

According to an HT report, the intensity of rainfall in Odisha will pick up from Saturday as the coastal districts and interior districts are expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall. The IMD has issued a red alert for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts. An orange alert has been issued in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Koraput districts for Saturday.