Cyclone Jawad is likely to make landfall on the Odisha coast near Puri between the evening of December 4 and morning of December, said Odisha special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena during a press conference on Friday.

“We are hopeful this cyclone will be less devastating, based on the wind speed prediction of 80-90 km per hour. We don’t expect massive devastation. But at the same time, we cannot rule out that in some places power lines may be affected, some electric poles may get damaged and some trees may be uprooted. Those probabilities are always there,” Pradeep Kumar Jena said.

He also pointed out that Cyclone Jawad is unique because for the first time in history Odisha is witnessing a cyclone in December.

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PATH OF CYCLONE JAWAD

Cyclone Jawad is expected to make landfall between December 4 and 5 on the coast of Odisha, before recurving north and northeastwards and heading towards West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The wind speed is likely to be around 90-110 km per hour. “During landfall, the wind speed along Odisha coast will be around 90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph,” said Pradeep Kumar Jena.

As per the Indian Meteorological Department, there is every possibility that after brushing past Odisha coast, Cyclone Jawad may re-enter the sea.

“If the cyclonic storm takes a re-curve, it may cross parallel to the Odisha coast. Under its influence, the impact will be felt most in Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Kendrapara districts. The wind speed in these districts is expected to be 60 to 80 kmph during the landfall process. Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts may experience gusting winds up to 100 kmph,” special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said. A clear picture is yet to emerge on the exact path of Cyclone Jawad.

The wind speed of the cyclone may gradually decrease after touching Odisha coast, he added.

As per the latest weather bulletin, the deep depression over west central and adjoining south Bay of Bengal lay centred at 8.30 on Friday morning at about 480 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 600 km south southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 700 km south-southwest of Paradip (Odisha).

WEATHER FORECAST

The special relief commissioner said that several parts of Odisha will experience rainfall from December 3. The intensity of rainfall will increase on December 4.

The IMD has issued a red warning for heavy rainfall in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Jagatsinghpur. Other parts of the state, including Koraput, Rayagada, Kendrapra and Khordha districts, will also experience moderate to heavy rainfall.