Cyclone Jawad likely to hit Andhra, Odisha coasts on Saturday; trains cancelled for 3 days
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Dec 02, 2021: The East Coast Railway cancelled the operation of 95 trains for three days from Thursday in view of the cyclonic storm hitting the Odisha coast. As a precautionary measure for the safety of passengers, 95 mail and express trains originating from different places and passing through the region have been cancelled from December 2-4, an ECoR statement said.
The Odisha government had asked collectors of 13 districts to prepare for the evacuation of the people and has chalked out a disaster management strategy by requisitioning NDRF, ODRAF, and fire department personnel for rescue and relief operations.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on cyclone-related preparation.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the weather system over the Andaman Sea is tipped to intensify into a cyclone over the Bay of Bengal and will cross the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts on December 4. The storm, once developed, will be called Jawad (read as Jowad), as named by Saudi Arabia. After Yaas in May and Gulab in September, this will be the third cyclone headed towards the east coast this year.
A ‘yellow’ alert warning of heavy rainfall (64.4mm to 115.5mm in 24 hours) has been issued for Srikakulam, Vishakapatnam, and Vijayanagara districts of Andhra Pradesh for December 3 and 4. The Met department has issued an ‘orange’ alert, with a likelihood of very heavy rainfall (115.6mm to 204.4mm in 24 hours), on December 3 and 4 over Puri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Cuttack and Nayagarh districts of Odisha.
“A low-pressure area lay over south Thailand and neighbourhood at 8.30 am on November 30. It is likely to emerge into the Andaman Sea during the next 12 hours. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by December 2,” said the IMD’s bulletin.
“It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours. It is likely to move northwestwards, intensify further and reach near north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts around December 4 morning," the bulletin added.
According to cyclone development frequency data maintained by the IMD, on eight occasions between 1891 and 2021, no cyclones developed in this region during both October and November.
Courtesy:Indian Express