Image Source: IANS
New Delhi: The landfall process of cyclone ‘Amphan’ commenced at 2.30 p.m. and will continue for four hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday afternoon.
As per 3 p.m. update by the weather agency, “Landfall process commenced since 2.30 p.m. The forward sectors of the wall cloud region are entering into land in West Bengal and the landfall process will continue for four hours.”
The Cyclone is 190 km east-northeast of Odisha’s Paradip, 65 km east-southeast of West Bengal’s Digha, 35 km from Sagar island and 225 km south-southwest of Khepupara in Bangladesh.
Amphan will move north-northeastwards and cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast between Digha and Hatiya Islands close to Sundarbans around Sagar Island. During landfall, the intensity of the cyclone is likely to be 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.
Storm surge during the landfall in West Bengal is expected to be four to six meters above astronomical tide. The surge is expected to inundate low lying areas of South and North 24 Parganas and parts of East Medinipur district.
The wind speed in Kolkata, Hooghly and Howrah is likely to range between 110 kmph to 120 kmph gusting to 130 kmph, which may cause extensive damage in the urban areas also.
In coastal Odisha, gale wind of 100 to 100 kmph gusting to 125 kmph will also impact Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore.
The weather condition would result in uprooting of trees, communications and power transmission poles, bending of telephone lines and extensive damage to the ‘kutcha’ and even ‘pucca’ houses and crops and plantations.
The NDRF has positioned over 41 teams to carry out evacuation and relief, Director General S.N. Pradhan had said on Tuesday.
