Very severe Cyclone Yaas nears Odisha, West Bengal coasts: All you need to know

Cyclone Yaas is centered about 40 km east of Odisha's Dhamra, 80 km south southeast of Balasore, and 80 km south-southwest Digha in West Bengal.

Very severe cyclonic storm Yaas, which is set to make landfall on Wednesday, has reached close to Odisha and West Bengal coasts, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). It is centered about 40 km east of Odisha's Dhamra, 80 km south southeast of Balasore, and 80 km south-southwest Digha in West Bengal. The speed of the storm at 7.30am was 130 to 140 kmph.

Odisha is expected to bear the maximum brunt of Cyclone Yaas. (AFP)

Cyclone Yaas is likely to move north-northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore during noon on Wednesday.

Here is all you need to know about Cyclone Yaas:

• During landfall around Wednesday noon, Cyclone Yaas is likely to have a wind speed of 130 to 140 kmph, which is lower than the weather department had earlier predicted.
• "We are not seeing rapid intensification of this cyclone because its interaction with land has already started. The outer cloud bands of Yaas are over land. The system is close to Paradip also. Comparatively, Yaas had less time over Sea which has prevented intensification to an extremely severe or super cyclone,” Sunitha Devi, cyclones in-charge at IMD, said on Tuesday.
• Odisha is expected to bear the maximum brunt of the cyclone. "The impact of Cyclone Yaas will be high six hours before and after the landfall. Big trees and electric poles may get uprooted. Chandbali is likely to witness maximum damage due to the cyclone,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of meteorology, IMD.
• The cyclone is likely to maintain the intensity of a Cyclonic Storm till the night of May 26 or the early morning of May 27 and weaken gradually into a depression over Jharkhand.
• Thousands of people were evacuated by the authorities on Tuesday and arrangements were made to accommodate up to 750,000 evacuees in 7,000 shelters. “Zero casualty is the motto. We are leaving no stone unturned for saving lives,” Odisha’s special relief commissioner Pradip Jena said.
• As the cyclone approaches, fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea until further notice. They have been asked to steer clear of central Bay of Bengal till May 26 forenoon and north Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal–Bangladesh coasts on May 25 and 26.
• In view of the cyclone, the Eastern railway has cancelled 25 trains from May 24 to May 29. The list of cancelled trains include Guwahati-Bangalore Cant, Muzaffarpur-Yesvantpur, Ernakulam-Patna, New Tinsukia-Tambaram, and Bhagalpur-Yesvantpur.