Cyclone Amphan has been compared to 1999 Super Cyclone in Odisha.
Cylone Amphan, which is likely to hit Bengal today between 4 and 6 PM, is causing strong winds and heavy rain in parts of Odisha and Bengal as it nears the coast. This is only the second "super cyclone" to form in the northeastern Indian Ocean since the records began and also one of the worst storms over the Bay of Bengal in years. It is likely to hit the Indian coast as a strong storm equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The centre has assured all help to the states bracing for the cyclone at a time when India is fighting coronavirus.
Here are the top five facts at this hour on Cyclone Amphan:
A storm surge - as high as five metres above the astronomical tide - will inundate the low-lying coastal areas in Bengal, India Meteorological Department director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has said.
This afternoon, the storm lay centered as an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" over northwest Bay of Bengal, just 95 km from West Bengal's Digha town, the IMD said in its hourly bulletin at 1 pm.
Amphan, pronounced as "Um-pun", will cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast between Digha and Hatiya island, close to Sunderbans, after 4 PM and with a wind speed of 155-165 km per hour gusting to 185 km per hour.
Nearly five lakh people have been evacuated to safety in Bengal and Odisha, National Disaster Response Force chief SN Pradhan said. told NDTV today, calling the storm a "double challenge". "Social distancing is a huge concern during these evacuations," he said. In Bangladesh, more than 20 million have been evacuated to safety
Indian Navy is constantly monitoring developments in Bay of Bengal. Naval ships have been kept on standby in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam.
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