Cyclone Yaas Weakens Into ‘Severe Storm’; 1 Cr Affected in WB
Track all the live updates on the cyclone impacting Odisha and West Bengal here.
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Cyclone Yaas weakened into a 'severe cyclonic storm' hours after it made landfall south of Balasore in Odisha in the morning on Wednesday, 26 May,
The rainfall due to the cyclone will continue till Thursday, with fishermen advised not to venture into the sea till Thursday morning, senior scientist at the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, Umashankar Das, was quoted as saying,
Flight operations at Kolkata airport are suspended from 8:30 am till 7:45 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar airport will remain shut till 5 am on Thursday, the Airports Authority of India said.
(Click here for all updates on Cyclone Yaas from 25 May.)
- In Odisha, more than 3 lakh people were evacuated from low-lying, vulnerable areas
- The Indian Army deployed 17 integrated relief columns, comprising specialised personnel with necessary equipment and inflatable boats, in West Bengal
- The West Bengal government evacuated around 15 lakh people to cyclone and relief shelters
- In Bengal, three lakh houses have suffered damage due to the rough weather condition
- West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand are on high alert, while the coasts of Odisha and Bengal coasts are on red alert
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Cyclone 'Yaas': Strong Winds in Odisha's Dhamra Ahead of Landfall
Strong winds and heavy rain hit Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Wednesday morning as Cyclone ‘Yaas’ neared landfall.
According to the IMD, the 'very severe cyclonic storm' is expected to make landfall by noon on Wednesday with wind speed of 130-140 kmph gusting up to 155 kmph, reports ANI.
Cyclone 'Yaas' Centred Over Northwest Bay of Bengal
According to the IMD, ahead of landfall, Cyclone ‘Yaas’ lay centred over northwest Bay of Bengal near latitude 20.8°N and longitude 87.3°E, about 40 km east of Odisha’s Dhamra, 90 km south-southwest of West Bengal’s Digha and 90 km south-southeast of Odisha’s Balasore.
Cyclone Yaas: Landfall Process Commences
The landfall process of very severe cyclonic storm Yaas has commenced and it would cross North Odisha-West Bengal coasts to the south of Balasore within next three hours with wind speed of 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph.
Cyclone Yaas lay centred at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday over northwest Bay of Bengal near latitude 21.21 degree north and longitude 87.1 degree east, about 45 km north-northeast of Dhamra, 60 km southwest of Digha and 40 km south-southeast of Balasore, said National Weather Forecasting Centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Cyclone Yaas: Rain Predictions Across Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand
In Odisha, light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh and heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh and Sundergarh is expected.
While in West Bengal, the IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall at most places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Medinipur and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Jhargram, Bankura, South 24 Parganas and heavy falls at isolated places over Purulia, Nadia, Murshidabad, East Bardhaman, Bowrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Haldia, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts on Wednesday.
Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy falls at isolated places is expected in Jharkhand on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cyclone Yaas: Indian Army Joins Hands With WB Govt
The Indian Army on Wednesday said that to provide immediate support to people in emerging situation due to Cyclone Yaas, briefing, joint recce, liaison and coordination with the West Bengal government has been completed. Rescue and relief columns are pre-positioned across areas expected to be affected for immediate response, the Indian Army said.
Six Flights From Mumbai to Bhubaneshwar Cancelled
Amid Cyclone Yaas, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has witnessed the cancellation of six flights between Mumbai to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
However, flights to other regions continue to operate on schedule, the Mumbai Airport PRO said on Wednesday.
Cyclone Yaas to Reach Jharkhand Thursday Morning
IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Wednesday said that Cyclone Yaas is crossing the Odisha border, south of Balasore as of now and will reach Jharkhand on Thursday morning.
“It caused heavy to extremely heavy rain in Odisha in the past 24 hours. North Odisha and coastal are Odisha expected to receive heavy to extremely heavy rain today,” he added, according to ANI.
Cyclone Yaas: Bihar Deploys 22 Teams of NDRF, SDRF
As Cyclone Yaas hit coastal areas of Odisha on Wednesday morning, Bihar government deployed 22 teams of NDRF and SDRF in districts adjoining to Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The meteorological department predicts heavy rainfall in the state with strong winds at the speed of 80 to 100 kmph expected from Thursday morning. It has also alerted people of Bihar to stay away from open spaces, trees to avoid getting struck by lightning.
The effect of Yaas can be witnessed in districts of Katihar, Khagaria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Supaul, Nawada, Lakhisarai, Aurangabad, Patna, Bhojpur, Buxar, Vaishali.
The officials believe that the impact of Yaas in southern and central Bihar will be higher compared to north Bihar.
Cyclone Yaas Crosses North Odisha Coast: IMD
The weather department on Wednesday said that Cyclone Yaas has crossed north Odisha coast about 20 km south of Balasore from 10:30 am to 11:30 am with wind speed of 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph.
It then moved northwestwards and lay centred at 11:30 am over north coastal Odisha about 15 km south-southwest of Balasore, the weather body added.
Cyclone Yaas to Weaken Into 'Severe Cyclonic' Storm in Next 3 Hours
According to the weather department, Cyclone Yaas, after crossing north Odisha coast, is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a severe cyclonic storm over the next three hours and into cyclonic storm in the subsequent six hours.
Cyclone Yaas: ODRAF Clear Roads in Paradeep Municipal Area
Amid the cyclone, Jagatsinghpur ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) team are clearing roads in Paradeep Municipal area.
Cyclone Yaas: Ranchi Experiences Weather Change
Ranchi is experiencing a change in weather in wake of Cyclone Yaas. As per IMD, the state will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday with extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places.
Odisha: Fishing Boats at Paradeep Jetty Left Damaged
As Odisha faces the impact of landfall of Cyclone Yaas, fishing boats at Paradeep jetty have been left damaged.
Parts of West Bengal Left Inundated by Cyclone
Cyclone Yaas has left large parts of Bengal’s coast inundated.
The seaside towns of Digha and Mandarmoni in Purba Medinipur and Fraserganj and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas were among the areas affected, reported India Today.
The high level of the water has breached embankments at several places in the two coastal districts.
Cyclone Yaas: Scenes From West Bengal's Digha
Water Enters Haldia Port in East Midnapore
According to reports, water has entered the Haldia port in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district due to Cyclone Yaas.
Storm Triggered by Cyclone Yaas Causes Damage to Coastal Bengal
The storm surge triggered by Cyclone Yaas has inflicted heavy damage in the coastal and deltaic areas of West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.
“Because of the cyclone and the spring tide, the storm surge has caused extensive damage in the state. Several embankments have been breached. Water has gushed into many places at Digha, Shankharpur, Sagar, and Gosaba. Low lying areas have been flooded,” Banerjee reportedly said.
Cyclone Yaas Completes Process of Landfall
Umashankar Das, Senior Scientist, Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar on Wednesday said that Cyclone Yaas has completed the process of landfall.
“Rainfall will continue till tomorrow. Fishermen are advised not to venture till tomorrow morning because the condition of the sea will be rough,” he added, according to ANI.
Cyclone Yaas: Mamata to Visit Affected Areas on Friday
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that she will visit areas affected by the cyclone and high tide in Purba Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas on Friday, according to PTI.
At least one crore people in West Bengal have been affected by rough weather conditions and high tide arising out of the cyclone, she said, adding that three lakh houses have suffered damage.
“We have sent relief worth Rs 1 crore to areas affected by cyclone and high tide,” she was quoted as saying.