Very intense storm Cyclone Amphan can wreak large-scale damage, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General M Mohapatra said.
Cyclone Amphan is very intense. It has the potential to wreak large-scale damage," Mohapatra said.
Meanwhile, the weather department took to Twitter, informing about the damage expected due to the catastrophic cyclone Amphan.
Take a look:
- Extensive damage to all types of kutcha houses, some damage to old badly managed Pucca structures.
- Potential threat from flying objects.
- Extensive uprooting of communication and power poles.
- Disruption of rail/road link at several places.
- Extensive damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards.
- Blowing down of Palm and coconut trees.
- Uprooting of large bushy trees.
- Large boats and ships may get torn from their moorings.
Amphan has intensified into a super cyclonic storm and is expected to make a landfall tomorrow (May 20) between the Digha islands in West Bengal and Hatia islands of Bangladesh, Mohapatra said at a press briefing.
It is likely to de-intensify to an extremely severe cyclonic storm when it makes a landfall. The wind speed during the landfall is likely to be 165-175 kilometres per hour gusting up to 195 kilometres per hour.
"It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal - Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the afternoon/evening of May 20 as an extremely severe cyclonic storm," Mohapatra said.
The coastal districts of West Bengal will receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on May 19 and 20. This includes East Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata in West Bengal.
Isolated heavy rainfall is expected over north Odisha -- Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Keonjhar districts -- on May 20.
(With agency inputs)
