Severe cyclonic storm to make landfall on May 20: NDRF DG

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 18

The extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Amphan' ( pronounced as um-pun) is very likely to intensify further into a super cyclonic storm, the IMD has said.

It will cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during the afternoon/evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph, the weather office said, also predicting "phenomenal" sea conditions on May 19-20.

‘Amphan’, categorised as a super cyclone, is expected to make landfall on May 20 and it is being taken seriously as this is only the second time that such a severe cyclone will hit India after 1999, NDRF chief SN Pradhan said on Monday.

Pradhan said ‘Amphan’ will be an extremely severe cyclonic storm, a notch below the ‘super cyclone’ category, when it makes landfall.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) chief said the coming cyclone is a “serious” one as it is only the second time after 1999 in Odisha that a storm hitting the country’s coast has been categorised as a ‘super cyclone’.

The 1999 super cyclone was very deadly and it is expected that Amphan upon landfall will be like the ‘Fani’ cyclone that hit the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts in May 2019.

This is a cause of concern and the Central government is also very serious about it, he said in a video message.

“We request the affected states of Odisha and West Bengal to undertake the required measures. These states are already doing it,” Pradhan said.

The NDRF has already deployed a total of 37 teams in the two states apart from others that have been kept on standby.

In its latest forecast based on meterological analyis around 5.30 am, the IMD said Amphan in the past six hours moved with a speed of 13 kmph and lay centred as on today, May 18, over west-central and adjoining central parts of South Bay of Bengal about 790 km south of Paradip (Odisha), 940 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 1060 km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh).

It is very likely to intensify further into a super cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal — Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during afternoon/evening of May 20 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph. 

The IMD has warned squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along and off south Odisha coast from Monday evening, extending to, along and off north Odisha coast from Tuesday morning and along and off West Bengal coast from afternoon.

"The wind speed will gradually increase becoming gale wind speed reaching 75 to 85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph from May 20 morning along and off north Odisha and West Bengal coasts. It will gradually increase thereafter along and off West Bengal coast becoming 100-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph May 20 afternoon."

"Sea conditions will very high over southwest and adjoining central BoB today will become phenomenal over southern parts of central BoB from tonight, over northern parts of central and  adjoining north BoB on 19th May and over north BoB on May 20," it said, advising fishermen not to venture out till May 20.

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