'Cyclonic Titli' moving towards Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coasts

Bhubaneswar: The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into cyclonic storm Titli and is moving towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast, the IMD said in a special bulletin Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a red alert in Odisha for Wednesday and Thursday, forecasting "heavy to very heavy rainfall" at several places and "extremely heavy rainfall" at isolated areas in the state.

The cyclone over west-central Bay of Bengal moved west-north westwards at a speed of 8 kmph during the past six hours and intensified into cyclonic storm Titli, it said.

Titli lays centred at about 530 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 480 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, the IMD said.

"It is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and move west-northwestwards for some more time, then north westwards, and cross Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam around morning of October 11," Director of the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, H R Biswas said.

Thereafter, the system is very likely to re-curve northeastwards, move towards Gangetic West Bengal across coastal Odisha and weaken gradually, he said. Under its influence, heavy rainfall is likely at some places in south coastal Odisha's Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts from Wednesday.

This apart, districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall Wednesday and Thursday, the IMD said.

It also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall for Kandhamal, Boudh and Dhenkanal district from Thursday.

The IMD said rainfall would be accompanied by squally wind speeds reaching 40-50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph. It is very likely to commence along and off the Odisha coast from tonight, it said.

"The wind speed will gradually increase to 80-90 kmph and gusting to 100 kmph from Wednesday evening along and off south Odisha coast and 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph along and off north the Odisha coast," the IMD bulletin said.