Cyclone Yaas has hit North Odisha early on Wednesday even as nearly six lakh people have been evacuated from low-lying regions along the Odisha coast. Meanwhile West Bengal has been put on high alert and around 11.5 lakh have been shifted from the Bengal coast.
Earlier, IMD said in a statement had said that very severe cyclonic storm Yaas was centred over Northwest Bay of Bengal, 40 km East of Dhamra in Odisha. It is likely to move North-Northwestwards and cross North Odisha and West Bengal coasts to the North of Dhamra and South of Balasore during noon on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm with wind speed of 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph.
Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh and heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh and Sundergarh.