Bhubaneswar : Cyclonic Storm FANI has intensified into a Very Severe cyclonic storm today and it’ll further intensify to an extremely severe cyclonic storm by tomorrow, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its special bulletin. It is very likely to move north-westwards till 01stMay evening and thereafter recurve north-north-eastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, to the south of Puri around 3rd May afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre of the US Navy has forecasted that cyclone FANI is likely to make landfall at Krushnaprasad block of Puri district off the Odisha coast on 3rd May with maximum Gale Windspeed upto 140 nautical miles (260 km/hr) and sea tide will rise upto 29 mitres.
“The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘FANI’ (pronounced as ‘FONI’) over Southwest & adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal moved north-westwards with a speed of about 21 kmph in last six hours and lay centred at 1430 hrs IST of 30th April, 2019 over Southwest and adjoining westcentral & Southeast Bay of Bengal near latitude 13.0°N and longitude 85.3°E, about 760 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha) and 560 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 660 km north-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka). It is very likely to intensify further into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 06 hours. It is very likely to move north-westwards till 01st May evening and thereafter recurve north-north-eastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, to the south of Puri around 3 rd May afternoon with maximum sustained wind of speed 175-185 kmph gusting to 205 kmph” IMD said.