Cyclone Fani is forming in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to make a landfall in Odisha.
Cyclone Fani, pronounced as "Foni", which is forming in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make a landfall in Odisha on Friday, May 3, at 5:30 PM in south Puri. Cyclone Fani is said to be the strongest April cyclone in 43 years with a wind speed of up to 200 kmph. The weather department has issued a yellow weather warning in coastal Odisha which cautions people of a severely bad weather over the next few days. High alert has also been sounded in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Light to moderate rainfall is expected in several areas of Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh tomorrow. The centre has released Rs 1,086 crore as advance funds for undertaking preventive and relief measures to deal with Cyclone Fani.
Here are 5 updates you should know about cyclone Fani:
1. Cyclone Fani will impact Odisha the most, followed by Bengal and then Andhra Pradesh. The impact of the cyclone will be felt till May 4.
2. The areas that will see an impact of Cyclone Fani include Puri, Ganjam, Khurda Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore districts. In Bengal, south and north 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli and Kolkata will be affected. Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vijayanagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh will see Cyclone Fani's impact.
3. The tourists in Odisha have been advised to leave the state by Thursday evening (May 2). They have also been advised to cancel all the non-essential travel plans on May 3 and May 4.
4. Several state universities and colleges will remain closed from May 2-4. Fishermen have also been asked not to venture out far in areas southwest and southeast of Bay of Bengal.
5. The district administration is ready for evacuation and relief work. Around 900 multipurpose cyclone shelters have been kept ready in Odisha and naval ships and aircraft have been put on standby in Tamil Nadu.