Cyclone Hudhud likely to hit Odisha, Andhra on Oct 12

NEW DELHI (TIP): The MeT department has announced that cyclonic storm Hudhud is expected to get severe in the next 12 hours and will be accompanied with very heavy rainfall and gusty winds as it inches closer to the coast.

On October 9 evening, Hudhud was 675-km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 685-km southeast of Gopalpur in Orissa, moving closer to the coast. The system would continue to move west-northwestwards and intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours.

The cyclone would cross north Andhra Pradesh coast around Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 12, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

On October 8 , the cyclone had been oriented at about 1,100-km southeast of Gopalpur and 1,150-km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam at around 11.30 a.m. The weather office has issued a heavy rainfall warning for the north Andhra Pradesh coast and south Orissa.

Under the influence of the system, rainfall at most places, with heavy (6.5-12.4-cm) to very heavy falls (12.5- 24.4-cm) at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall (more than 24.5-cm) would occur over south Orissa from the evening of October 11 onwards. Rainfall would occur at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places (likely) over Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of north coastal Andhra, the IMD said.

According to the weather office, squally winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph would commence along and off the north Andhra Pradesh and south Orissa coasts from the morning of October 11. Wind speed would increase to 130-140 -kmph gusting to 150-kmph from October 12. Sea condition would be rough to very rough from the morning of October 11. It would gradually become phenomenal from morning of October 12.

The IMD has warned that, under the influence of the system, there was a threat of extensive damage to kutcha houses, partial disruption of power and communication lines, minor disruption of rail and road traffic.