On a Monday in late May 2021, a storm born in the Bay of Bengal grew from depression to cyclone and was given the name Yaas, a word that now carries the weight of coastal families bracing for its arrival. Like many storms before it, it gathers force over warm water while people on the shore weigh what they can carry and where they can go. The Odisha and West Bengal coasts stand in its path, and the authorities there have begun the familiar work of clearing low ground, stocking rescue teams, and reopening shops for a few hours so households can prepare. Whether the storm arrives as forecast, an
Cyclone Yaas Gains Strength, Set to Hit Odisha-Bengal Coast on May 26
No casualties are reported, but authorities are preparing large-scale evacuation of residents from low-lying and vulnerable coastal areas in Odisha.
Two extra hours to stock up before the storm arrived
Mark
Why does the lockdown relaxation in Odisha stand out?
Mimi
Because it shows two emergencies colliding. The state is under a Covid lockdown, and it still widened shopping hours from 7 am to 11 am to 7 am to 1 pm for two days so people could stock up.
Luke
Worth noting that's only 10 coastal districts, and only May 24 and 25. It's a short window, not a general loosening.
Mark
And the evacuation planning is affected by Covid too?
Mimi
Yes. Jena told officials to take more buildings into possession so evacuees can maintain social distancing.
Luke
Do we know how many people will actually be evacuated? No. The source says districts are asked to be prepared for large-scale evacuation, not that a number has been fixed.
Mark
What about the wind speeds being quoted?
Mimi
Bandopadhyay gives 155-165 kmph at landfall, while Mohapatra says 120-165 kmph for Odisha.
Luke
Those are forecasts, and the ranges differ because they describe different things. The storm also still has to strengthen to very severe status, which hadn't happened yet.
Mark
So what is actually confirmed right now?
Mimi
That Yaas is a cyclonic storm, where it sits, and that rescue teams are deployed. No casualties are reported.
Luke
Landfall timing, intensity and rainfall totals are all predictions as of Monday morning.
Il Polso
- A cyclone named Yaas has intensified over the Bay of Bengal and is heading toward the Odisha-West Bengal coast around May 26, with winds forecast at 155 to 165 kmph.
- Officials in Odisha are moving low-lying residents out of harm's way in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, the districts expected to take the worst of it.
- Rescue forces including NDRF and ODRAF teams are being positioned along the coast, with more units airlifted in as the storm approaches, all while a pandemic limits how evacuees can gather.
- Heavy to extremely heavy rain is forecast across several West Bengal districts including Kolkata, and no casualties have been reported so far, though the outcome hinges on whether the track and intensity hold through Wednesday.
On a Monday in late May 2021, a storm born in the Bay of Bengal grew from depression to cyclone and was given the name Yaas, a word that now carries the weight of coastal families bracing for its arrival. Like many storms before it, it gathers force over warm water while people on the shore weigh what they can carry and where they can go. The Odisha and West Bengal coasts stand in its path, and the authorities there have begun the familiar work of clearing low ground, stocking rescue teams, and reopening shops for a few hours so households can prepare. Whether the storm arrives as forecast, and how gently or harshly it treats the people in its way, remains a question the sea has not yet answered.
On Monday, May 24, 2021, a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal was upgraded to a cyclonic storm and named Yaas. Forecasters placed it several hundred kilometres south of Paradip and Digha, moving north-northwest, and expected it to strengthen into a very severe storm by Wednesday before crossing the coast between Paradip and the Sagar Islands around noon on May 26.
In Odisha, the government first addressed the practical needs of ordinary people. It eased its coronavirus lockdown in ten coastal districts, allowing shops to open longer so families could gather essentials before the wind arrived. Rescue teams were positioned, with officials expecting the heaviest damage in Balasore and Bhadrak. Residents of low-lying areas were to be moved to safer shelter, and officers were told to requisition more buildings so evacuees could stay apart during the pandemic.
In West Bengal, control rooms opened at Nabanna to track the storm, and NDRF teams in Howrah began issuing cyclone alerts. Rain was expected to build from light to moderate on May 25 and to become extremely heavy in parts of Kolkata and surrounding districts by May 26.
For now, no lives have been lost. What remains is watching whether the forecasts hold, how many people leave the low ground in time, and how the rain falls across the Bengal districts.
On Monday morning, May 24, 2021, a system that had been a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal was upgraded to a cyclonic storm and given the name Yaas. The Met Department said it was sitting 540 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha and 630 km south-southeast of Digha in West Bengal, and that it was moving north-northwestwards.
The forecast called for it to keep growing. By Tuesday it was expected to become a severe cyclonic storm, and by Wednesday morning a very severe one. Sanjib Bandopadhyay, Deputy Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, said Yaas was likely to cross the coast between Paradip and the Sagar Islands around noon on May 26, with wind speeds of 155 to 165 kmph.
In Odisha, the state government moved first on the practical question of how people would prepare. It relaxed its coronavirus lockdown in 10 coastal districts, letting shops stay open from 7 am to 1 pm on May 24 and 25. On weekdays, shops had been limited to 7 am to 11 am, so the change gave residents two extra hours to stock up on essentials before the storm arrived.
The state also deployed rescue forces. Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena said National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Fire Services personnel were in place, with the heaviest impact expected in Balasore and Bhadrak districts. He put the numbers at 22 NDRF teams, 60 ODRAF teams, and fire and forest officials in vulnerable areas. NDRF Director General S N Pradhan said 22 NDRF teams were already in Odisha and 10 more were being airlifted from elsewhere in the country at the state's request.
IMD Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra, known as the 'Cyclone Man of India', named four coastal districts as most likely to be hit hardest: Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur. Besides winds of 120 to 165 kmph, he said, Odisha should expect heavy rain. Jena said residents of low-lying areas would be moved to safer places, and district administrations were told to prepare for evacuation on a large scale. He personally supervised preparations in Balasore and Bhadrak, and told officials to take over more buildings so evacuees could keep their distance from one another amid the pandemic.
In West Bengal, the government opened control rooms at the state secretariat, Nabanna, to monitor the cyclone and its fallout. From May 25, the Met Department expected light to moderate rain across the coastal districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly, with heavy to very heavy downpours at one or two places. On May 26, the rain was forecast to spread and intensify, with extremely heavy rainfall possible in Jhargram, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata. In Howrah, NDRF teams were announcing cyclone alerts ahead of landfall.
No casualties had been reported as of Monday. What to watch now is whether the track and intensity forecasts hold through Wednesday, how many people are moved out of low-lying areas, and how the heavy rain plays out across the Bengal districts, Kolkata included.
Citazioni salienti
Four coastal districts of Odisha -- Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur -- are likely to be most impacted by the cyclonic storm.— Mrutunjay Mohapatra, IMD Director-General
We already have 22 NDRF teams in Odisha and 10 more are being airlifted from other parts of the country.— S N Pradhan, NDRF Director General
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Climate & Environment