IMD warns of Cyclone Jawad, heavy rain over Andhra, Odisha and West Bengal

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning over Cyclone Jawad that is likely to develop over central Bay of Bengal on Friday. It could see wind speeds of up to 117kmph and cause widespread rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

It will be the first cyclonic storm after the southwest monsoon ended.

A low pressure over southern Thailand and its neighbourhood at 8:30 am is likely to emerge into the Andaman Sea during the next 12 hours. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by December 2 and intensify into a cyclonic storm over the central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours,” the IMD said in a statement.

It has also predicted rainfall over India’s western coast and north Maharashtra, and Gujarat starting from Wednesday.

“Jawad once formed will be a severe cyclone but we cannot say immediately if it will cross or skirt the east coast,” Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

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On Thursday, light to moderate rainfall is likely at most places, with heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The sea condition will be rough to very rough over Andaman Sea, along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, and will become very rough to high over the southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Sea on Thursday.

In May last year, Cyclone Amphan devastated West Bengal. Over 13 million people were affected and more than 1.5 million houses were damaged. Over three million people were evacuated before the storm made landfall over the Bengal coast.