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Bhubaneswar, Oct 28 (IANS) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red and orange alert for several districts of southern Odisha as Cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over west-central Bay of Bengal on Monday.
Briefing the media, Bhubaneswar IMD Director Dr Manorama Mohanty said the cyclone is currently about 510 km south-southwest of Gopalpur. “It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada as a severe cyclonic storm during the evening or night of October 28,” he said.
He said the wind speed at the time of landfall is expected to be between 90 to 110 km per hour.
Due to the impact of the system, the IMD has issued a red warning for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Kalahandi districts. Orange and yellow warnings have been issued for Kandhamal, Nabarangapur, Rayagada, Ganjam and Puri districts, where heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely.
As for wind speed, a red warning has been issued for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Malkangiri and Koraput districts, with wind speed reaching 60-80 kmph.
The IMD has also issued a red warning predicting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Rayagada on October 29. Kandhamal, Bolangir, Nuapada and Gajapati may receive moderate to heavy rainfall.
Similarly, rainfall activity is expected to reduce significantly by October 30, with isolated heavy rains expected only over Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Deogarh districts.
Dr. Mohanty said that fishermen have been advised not to go into the sea till October 30, as there is a possibility of storm winds on the Odisha coast. All ports have been advised to hoist local caution signal number 2, while Gopalpur port has been asked to maintain distant caution signal number 3.
The IMD also warned that the cyclone could cause damage to standing paddy and vegetable crops in low-lying and submerged areas. Farmers have been advised to drain excess water from fields wherever possible. People have been urged to stay updated about the weather bulletins and follow the advisories issued by the administration for safety.
–IANS
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