The landfall process of Cyclone Yaas commenced around 9:00 am today i.e May 26 on the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The organisation added the very severe cyclonic storm Yaas is centred about 50 km South-Southeast of Balasore, Odisha. In response to the approaching Cyclone, states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand have aggressively evacuated over 12 lakh people from coastal areas till now. They have been placed in storm shelters.
Cyclone Yaas is expected to cross North Odisha and the West Bengal coast to the north of Dhamra south of Balasore around noon on May 26 with a wind speed of 130-140 kmph. The IMD had issued a red-coded warning alert to the Odisha and West Bengal coasts on Tuesday night.
Airports Closed
In response to Cyclone Yaas, Kolkata Airport was shut down at 8:30 am. The airport is expected to resume operations at 7:45 pm today when the wind conditions improve and strong winds subside. The notification for closure of the airport was issued on Tuesday.
Airports in Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Durgapur and Rourkela will also remain shut at different times for commercial flights due to Cyclone Yaas. Bhubaneswar Airport will be closed from 11 pm on Tuesday till 5 am on Thursday while Jharsuguda Airport will shutter from 12.01 am on Wednesday till 7.45 am on Thursday. Airports in Durgapur and Rourkela airports will be closed on Wednesday, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has informed.
Trains Cancelled
Earlier, Railways Public Relations Officer (PRO) had informed that in light of the approaching Cyclone Yaas, 38 long-distance South-bound and Kolkata-bound passenger trains were cancelled from May 24 to 29.
In Bihar, the Patna Meteorological Centre has informed that the state will experience thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds till May 29 as Cyclone Yaas is expected to impact parts of South Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had held a high-level meeting on Tuesday and had asked all the departments to remain on alert.
