Cyclone Yaas hits North Odisha

Cyclone Yaas has hit Odisha's Dhamra and Balasore, which is 150 km south of Kolkata.

It is crossing the coast with winds up to 140 km per hour and gusts of 155 km per hour. At 9.15 am it was 40 km south-southeast of Balasore. It will take three hours to cross the coast.

Cyclone Yaas has begun landfall, the India Meteorological Department said at 9 am. The storm is moving north-northwest at about 17 km per hour and crossing the north Odisha and Bengal coast as a 'very severe cyclonic storm'. Projected maximum windspeeds - 185 km per hour - have been revised to 155 km per hour. Windspeeds will fall to between 65 and 75 km per hour by the evening.

Odisha's Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are the most badly affected. In Bengal, West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas districts - and Kolkata – are experiencing stormy weather with wind speeds of up to 120 km per hour.

Around 2.5 lakh people have been shifted from low-lying regions in Odisha. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held meetings Tuesday night to review preparations. Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said arrangements - including supply of oxygen and electricity - have been made for Covid hospitals in vulnerable regions.

Over 11.5 lakh people have been evacuated from places along the Bengal coast, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Tuesday, adding she would spend the following two nights at her office - 'Nabanna' - to monitor Yaas' impact and subsequent relief efforts.

Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport will be closed till 7.45 pm. The Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar has been closed till 5 am Thursday. The Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Odisha's Jharsuguda is shut till 7.45 pm Thursday. The Durgapur and Rourkela airports will stay closed today.