Cyclone ‘Jawad’ to weaken into deep depression, relief for Odisha-Andhra
Guwahati: Cyclonic storm ‘Jawad’ is likely to weaken into a deep depression before reaching the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast by Saturday midday.
The news comes as a welcome relief to the eastern state, which has already been hit by two cyclones in the recent year: ‘Gulab’ and ‘Yaas.’
“It is expected to weaken gradually over the following 12 hours and then travel north-northeast along the Odisha coast, forming a deep depression around Puri,” the India Meteorological Department said.
According to IMD’s latest bulletin, it is forecast to weaken further and continue moving north-northeastwards along the Odisha coast toward the West Bengal shore.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena warned on Friday that it is anticipated to make landfall somewhere in Puri district before going out to the Bay of Bengal.
“There is some good news. According to the latest warning from @iIndiametdept, the cyclone may weaken to a deep depression by the time it reaches the Puri coast “On Saturday, he tweeted.
During the previous six hours, ‘Jawad’ moved slightly northwards at a pace of 4 kmph, centred around 230 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 340 km south of Gopalpur (Odisha), 410 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), and 490 km south-southwest of Paradip (Odisha) at 5:30 a.m.,
Since Friday night, rain has been falling across Odisha’s entire coastline region. The maximum rainfall in the last 12 hours was 68 mm in Paradip, followed by 10.4 mm in Bhubaneswar, according to the Met Office.
IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the system is expected to slam against the coast of Odisha near Puri with sustained winds of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.
Meanwhile, Jena said the state government has instructed district officials in Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Niali in the Cuttack district to evacuate residents living in susceptible houses and low-lying areas beginning Saturday.
However, because the projected wind speed is mild in contrast to prior cyclones, he stated there will be no blanket evacuation.