The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) on Monday forecasted that Super Cyclone Amphan would make a landfall close to the Sunderbans in West Bengal on May 20.
IMD Director General Mruntunjay Mohapatra said Amphan would cross the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to the Sundarbans on May 20 afternoon to evening.
Mohapatra said Amphan is the second Super Cyclone over the Bay of Bengal after the Odisha Super Cyclone of 1999.
He said there is no chance of the Amphan making landfall in Odisha, but it would impact parts of coastal Odisha.
He said there would be no damaging impact near Gopalpur in Ganjam district, which is likely to experience wind speed up to 45-55 kmph gusting up to 65 kmph.
Puri district is likely to witness around 55-60 kmph with squally wind, but no destruction is predicted. The districts of Bhadrak and Baleswar would be more affected because they are closer to the expected landfall point in the Sundarbans, he added.
The IMD’s latest bulletin said the system is lying about 730 km south of Paradip (Odisha), 890 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 1010 km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh).
It is a cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 165-175 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.
Under the impact of the cyclone, the wind speed would gradually increase becoming gale wind speed reaching 75 to 85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph from May 20 morning in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Mayurbhanj districts.
Squally wind speeds reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph are likely to prevail over Puri, Khordha, Cuttack and Jajpur districts.
The coastal parts are also likely to experience light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places over Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts.
On Tuesday, rainfall is likely at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over north coastal districts like Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Mayurbhanj and isolated heavy rainfall over Bhadrak, Baleswar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Keonjhar districts.