Cyclone Gulab to make landfall today, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on high alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the deep depression over Bay of Bengal has moved westward in the last 6 hours and intensified into the cyclonic storm “Gulab.”

The cyclone will move further westward and cross north Andhra Pradesh, south Odisha around Sunday evening. A red alert has been sounded in both the states for a cyclonic warning and post landfall lookout.

According to the latest update of the IMD, at around 5.30 am on September 26, the cyclonic storm over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal had moved nearly westwards and lay centred over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, which was about 270 km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 330 km east of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Besides, IMD has issued orange alerts for heavy rain for various days up to September 29 for Vidarbha, Telangana, Marathwada, Konkan coast, including Mumbai, and Gujarat.

The southern coastal districts of Odisha and adjoining Andhra Pradesh received moderate intensity rainfall since Sunday morning in view of the approaching cyclonic storm Gulab.

Since Saturday, the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh and some areas in Tamil Nadu and Telangana witnessed an increase in rainfall. In the last 24 hours, rainfall at some locations were Krishna – 140mm, Bapatla – 70mm, Chittoor – 90mm, Cuddapah – 80mm, Cuddalore – 70mm.

Meanwhile, thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha and five in Andhra Pradesh, Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General of the relief force, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Train services on the east coast have been cancelled, diverted or rescheduled as a precautionary measure. Due to the prevailing weather conditions, 28 trains have been cancelled and few others have been diverted, rescheduled, regulated and terminated for a short period of time due to Cyclone Gulab.