Cyclone Yaas likely to escalate into very severe cyclonic storm: IMD

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said that Cyclone Yaas across the Odisha coast is likely to escalate into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and breach the West Bengal coast on May 26. There was a formation of a low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea on Saturday, reports PTI.

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It is not necessary that all low-pressure areas should intensify into a cyclonic storm. But its formation is usually the first stage of a cyclone. “The low-pressure area is very likely to concentrate into a depression over east-central Bay of Bengal by tomorrow, the 23rd May morning. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify into a Cyclonic Storm by 24th May and further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours,” the IMD said, reports PTI.

“It is very likely to cross West Bengal and the adjoining north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts around the evening of 26th May,” said the IMD to PTI.

Last week, an extremely severe cyclone, Tauktae hit the Gujarat coast and left a trail of destruction all over the western coast.

As it weakened further, its impact was felt across the north Indian plains and even in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, reports PTI.

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The April-May and the October-December periods are also known to witness cyclones. In May 2020, there were formations of two cyclones, one in the Bay of Bengal called super cyclonic storm Amphan, and the other in the Arabian Sea called severe cyclonic storm Nisarga, that hit the Indian coasts.