New Delhi: Cyclone Amphan stood about 600 km south of Paradip (Odisha) and 750 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) at 11.30 pm on Monday.
“The Super Cyclonic AMPHAN at 23:30 hrs IST of May 18, 2020, lies near latitude 14.9°N and longitude 86.5°E over Westcentral Bay of Bengal about 600 km nearly south of Paradip (Odisha), 750 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal),” India Meteorological Department (IMD) tweeted.
Earlier yesterday, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla spoke to Chief Secretaries of West Bengal and Odisha – Rajiva Sinha and Asit Tripathy – in view of arrangements and preparedness against Cyclone Amphan.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences had said that the storm is very likely to move nearly northwards for some more time and then north-northeastwards across the northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the afternoon or evening of May 20 as an extremely severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 165-175 Kmph gusting to 185 Kmph. (ANI)