Cyclone Yaas likely to turn into a very severe cyclonic storm, says Indian Met department

Cyclone Yaas has started forming over east central Bay of Bengal and seems imminent to turn into a cyclonic storm by May 24 and subsequently, into a very severe cyclonic storm over the next 24 hours even as it roars into north Bay of Bengal on May 25. The cyclone was likely to strike the Bengal coast, either East Midnapore or South 24 Parganas, said the Met office.

It hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Yaas hitting land near north Odisha or the Bangladesh coast. At the time of landfall on May 26 morning, the cyclone is predicted to have a wind speed of 155-165 km/hour.

Kolkata may start receiving drizzles from Tuesday morning under the impact of the approaching cyclone and the rain could intensify subsequently across south Bengal as Yaas strikes land. “We expect a spell of very heavy rainfall in Kolkata and the rest of south Bengal between the night of May 25 and May 26 as the cyclone passes through the district. Subsequently, the rain will lose intensity as the cyclone moves into the land but depending on the track that it takes, the weather may remain cloudy,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das. The Met office added Yaas would be less intense than Amphan, which was a super cyclone.

After turning into a very severe cyclone, Yaas would continue to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach north Bay of Bengal close to the Bengal, north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts. “It is very likely to cross Bengal and adjoining north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts on the evening of May 26. While we can’t yet pinpoint the exact location of its landfall, East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas look vulnerable. Going by its movement so far, Yaas seems headed for the Bengal coast but it may change over the next 48 hours,” added Das.

Ruling out suggestions that since the time gap between the formation of the cyclone and its expected landfall was short, the storm could be less intense, Das said it was predicted to move coastward at a reasonable pace and would gather enough strength to turn into either a very severe or a severe cyclone. “As of now, we expect it to be more than just a cyclone. Depending on how the system forms and moves, its intensity will be determined. But our meteorological indications suggest it will be more than just a cyclone,” added Das.