Cyclone Gulab: Maritime ports asked to hoist signal No 2
Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisting distant warning signal no two as the Cyclonic Storm "Gulab" now lies over the northwest bay and adjoining west-central area.
The cyclonic storm was centred at about 665km southwest of Chattogram port, 630km southwest of Cox's Bazar port, 525km south of Mongla port and 530km south of Payra port at 6am today, according to Met Office weather bulletin issued on Sunday morning.
It is likely to move in the west-northwesterly direction further.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 54km of the cyclone centre is about 62 kph in gusts or squalls.
Besides, the sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre, the Met Office said.
All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice. They have also been advised not to venture into the deep sea.
Meanwhile, the cyclone is set to hit the north Andhra-south Odisha coast on Sunday evening with expected wind speeds gusting up to 95kmph, the India Meteorological Department India has warned today.
The cyclone, christened 'Gulab', intensified from a deep depression over North Bay of Bengal on Saturday afternoon and is expected to make landfall by Sunday around Kalingapatnam, between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, the IMD said.
IMD has issued a red weather warning for extremely heavy rain in parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, and in south Chhattisgarh on Monday, by when the system may weaken into a depression.
The department has also warned of cyclone-related flooding and destruction, including damage to hutments and other structures while adding that power/communication lines and standing crops could take a hit.
Besides, orange alerts for heavy rain have been issued for various days up to 29 September for Vidarbha, Telangana, Marathwada, Konkan coast, including Mumbai, and Gujarat.
Cyclones rarely occur during September, particularly when the monsoon is active, as the wind systems associated with the monsoon prevent storms in the Bay of Bengal from intensifying into cyclones.
Gulab is likely to be followed back-to-back by a milder cyclonic circulation that will start impacting from the evening of 28 September, bringing heavy rain to Bengal, including Kolkata, Odisha and inland regions of central and north India, including Uttar Pradesh and possibly Delhi-NCR, reports Times of India.
