S Odisha to experience wind speed of 120 kmph
Storm to maintain intensity for 6 hours
The cyclone Hudhud was moving northwestwards and would cross north Andhra Pradesh coast around Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of Sunday, said India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday. At 5.30 pm, the system lay centered at about 340km south southeast of Gopalpur, it added.
The local Met office in its evening bulletin said squally wind speed reaching 55-65 kmph, gusting to 75 kmph from northeast direction, would prevail along and off Odisha coasts and the wind speed would increase to 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph from Saturday night. Sea condition would be rough to very rough in next 12 hours and thereafter, it would be very rough to high.
Due to influence of the cyclonic storm, heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at one or two places over districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kalahandi and Kandhamal of south Odisha in next 48 hours. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places is also expected in districts of Khurdha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Baleswar, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Maurbhanj in next 24 hours. local Cautionary Signal Number Three (lC-III) remained hoisted at all ports of the State, the local Met centre said.
IMD Bhubaneswar Director Sarat Sahu said after having made a landfall, cyclone Hudhud would be intense and assume form of a very severe cyclonic storm for six hours. Then, it would gradually weaken while moving northwestwards across south interior Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Under its influence, rainfall at most places and heavy rainfalls at a few places would occur over south Odisha, while isolated heavy to very heavy rainfalls expected over north Odisha, he added.
The Met office sources said the gale would blow at a speed of 100-120 kmph, gusting to 130 kmph for six hours after landfall in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts. The wind speed would be 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph for subsequent six hours in these areas.