Cyclone Yaas may hit coast between Sagar and Paradeep, says Met – Times of India

Kolkata: Yaas is likely to thunder into the Bengal-Odisha coast between Sagar Island and Paradeep on May 26 evening with the Bengal coast more likely to take the hit after it crosses north Odisha as a very severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 155km/hr-165km/hr. From a depression on Sunday, Yaas will transform into a cyclone on Monday and a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday, eventually striking land as a very severe cyclone. Amphan, which had wreaked havoc in south Bengal exactly a year ago, had a higher wind speed of 185km/hr at landfall and had turned into a super cyclone before hitting land.
“We will have a better idea of the exact location of its landfall once Yaas turns into a cyclone on Monday. But, in terms of intensity, it is significantly lower than Amphan, which was a super cyclone,” said deputy director general of meteorology Sanjib Bandopadhyay. He added that the sea will remain very rough and fishermen have been asked to return to shore by the evening of May 23.
The impact on Kolkata could be substantial and will begin on Tuesday morning with drizzles and it could remain cloudy. Over the next 24 hours, the rain could intensify and turn into a deluge. It will be heaviest on Wednesday.
The wind speed and the rain intensity in the city will depend on where Yaas touches land. “If it is Digha, then the wind speed in Kolkata could be as high as 80km/hr-100km/hr. If it strikes Paradeep, then it will be a much weaker wind. Again, if it strikes Sagar Island, the wind speed could go up to 120km/hr-130km/hr,” he said.
Amphan had reached a maximum wind speed of 130km/hr in Kolkata, the highest in more than a century.
If the landfall happens at Paradeep, the impact on Kolkata could be minimal. “Since Paradeep is 250km away, Kolkata will fall in the outer band of the cyclone and could receive just moderate rain,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das. An IMD map, in fact, has indicated such a possibility. But the RMC has explained that it is just one of the several possibilities.
Apart from Kolkata, East and West Midnapore, Howrah, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia will receive heavy rain. “If there is a strong enough wind, Darjeeling and Kalimpong will get rain, too,” an official said.
It is, however, too early to predict the post-landfall path of Yaas. “If the landfall happens within a radius of 50km-70km of Kolkata, the city will have a significant impact, probably next only to Amphan in terms of damage. Amphan had lost intensity just before landfall and turned into a very severe cyclone and Yaas, too, will have the same status when it hits land,” said a weather scientist.
On Sunday, Yaas was located 670km south-southeast of Digha. “It will continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify and reach northwest Bay of Bengal near the Bengal and Odisha coasts by May 26 morning,” said Das.
As Yaas approaches the Bengal coast, squally winds will gather speed. From Monday evening, wind speed will reach 40km/hr-50km/hr, gusting up to 60km/hr. A day later, it will touch 50km/hr-60km/hr and gust up to 70km/hr, eventually taking on a gale wind speed of 60km/hr-70km/hr, gusting up to 80km/hr on the morning of May 26. It will gradually increase and eventually touch 155km/hr-165km/hr.