The India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Saturday, said that Cyclone ‘Jawad’ is likely to weaken into a deep depression before making landfall near Puri in Odisha. The cyclonic storm is currently over the Bay of Bengal.

At 5:30 am on Saturday, the cyclonic storm lay centered over the west-central Bay of Bengal about 230 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and 410 km south-southwest of Puri, Odisha, the IMD said in a statement.

“It is likely to weaken gradually and move nearly northwards during the next 12 hours and then north-northeastwards along the coast of Odisha, reaching near Puri around December 5 noon as a deep depression. Subsequently, it is likely to weaken further and continue to move north-northeastwards along the coast of Odisha towards the coast of West Bengal,” it said.

The name of the cyclone — ‘Jawad’ — has been proposed by Saudi Arabia.

A low-pressure area had developed over the Andaman Sea on November 30.

Earlier, the IMD said that the cyclonic storm intensified into a depression on December 2 and further into a deep depression on Friday morning. It only turned into a cyclone on Friday noon.

The Met Office yesterday said that rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha is likely to increase today.

A red colour warning has been issued for Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts for Saturday. The red colour warning has also been issued for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over West Bengal on Saturday and Sunday, and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura on Sunday and Monday.

Sea conditions will remain unsafe for shipping and fishermen in the central and north Bay of Bengal from Friday to Sunday.

Due to the threat of the cyclone, the Odisha government cancelled an ongoing classical dance festival and a sand art event in Puri.