Cyclone Asani, which intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Sunday, is expected to weaken by Wednesday, the weather office has said in its latest bulletin. Strong winds with the speed of 100-110 kmph - expected to surge to 120 km per hour - have been predicted as Odisha, Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have braced up for heavy rain too. Localised flooding has been predicted with rain expected in the range of 100-200 mm.
Here are ten points on Cyclone Asani:
1.Ten flights including those from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Mumbai were cancelled at the Chennai Airport. “Passengers were informed about the same yesterday,” Airport Authority, Chennai, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
2. "Severe cyclonic storm Asani is over west-central region and adjoining southwest region of Bay of Bengal. It is 330 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam likely to move further northwest till tonight, thereafter it'll recurve," an official at the Cyclone Warning Center in Visakhapatnam was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
3. Visuals from Vishakhapatnam captured the impact of rough sea conditions and strong winds in the coastal parts.
4. Bhubaneswar Met department tweeted in Odiya that “the epicenter was reported at 70 km southwest of Gopalpur and southwest of Puri.”
5. Severe Cyclonic Storm Asani moved with a speed of 12 km per hour in west northwest direction during the last six hours, and is about 590 km southwest of Puri and about 510 km southsouthwest of Gopalpur, another official update read.
{{/usCountry}}5. Severe Cyclonic Storm Asani moved with a speed of 12 km per hour in west northwest direction during the last six hours, and is about 590 km southwest of Puri and about 510 km southsouthwest of Gopalpur, another official update read.
{{/usCountry}}6. "Under the influence of Asani, rain and thundershowers are likely to occur at one or two places in some districts during the next four-five days.During the next two days, Telangana is likely to have a thunderstorm with lightning," Naga Ratna, director, Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
7. In West Bengal’s Medinipur, the state police is constantly alerting fishermen to stay away from coastal parts.
8. Fishermen in other coastal states too have been advised to stay away from the coastal areas.
9. Myanmar and Bangladesh are the other countries where the impact of the cylone may be felt.
10. The Odisha government had earlier said it was ready to move lakhs to safety.
(With inputs from ANI)