Vizag weather update: City gears up for heavy rains and gusty winds

The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Fani’ is barreling towards the East Coast and is expected to make a landfall between Gopalpur and Chandbali, around Puri in Odisha on 3 May. Along with torrential rains, the cyclone is also very likely to cause gusty winds (170-180 kmph) while hitting the shore on Friday. With the forecasts warning of severe changes in the weather, the authorities in Vizag have been working on war-footing to stay prepared before the cyclone crosses the shore.

Giving an update on the weather conditions in Vizag, an official from the Control Room at the Collectorate, told Yo! Vizag, “The Cyclone ‘Fani’ is likely to make landfall in Odisha on Friday. While crossing the shore, the cyclone is expected to cause heavy rainfall and strong winds (60-70 kmph) in several across the Vizag district.”

The fishermen have been warned against going into the sea and those living in the low lying areas have reportedly been shifted to safer places. The experts have also advised the citizens to stay alert and safe in the coming few hours. For further updates, the citizens can reach the Control Room via a toll-free number 1800 4250 0002.

“The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘FANI’ (pronounced as ‘FONI’) over West-central Bay of Bengal moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of about 16 kmph in last 06 hours and lay centred at 1130 hrs IST of 2nd May, 2019 over West-central Bay of Bengal, near Latitude 16.7°N and Longitude 84.8°E, about 360 Km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 190 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 550 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal). It is very
likely to move north-northeastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, around Puri by the afternoon of 3rd May with a maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 Kmph gusting to 200 Kmph,” an IMD bulletin, released at 4:50 pm, read.

“Storm surge of about 1.5 m height above astronomical tide is very likely to inundate low line areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri & Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha at the time of landfall,” the bulletin further informed.