Bhubaneshwar, September 20: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a cyclone alert for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone is likely to affect various districts of Odisha in the next 24 hours. P Sethi, Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha, “A cyclonic storm is expected to cross Gopalpur at midnight. Ganjam, Puri, and Khurda districts will be affected. Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput and Gajapati will receive heavy rainfall. We have asked district administrators to stay alert.”

According to the IMD, a depression over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours.  A deep depression is centred at about 310 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam (coastal Andhra Pradesh) and about 300 km east-southeast of Gopalpur. The depression is likely to intensify into a cyclone in the next 12 hours.

Heavy to very heavy rain was predicted at a few places over Odisha and extremely heavy downpour at isolated places over south Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off the Odisha, West Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh coasts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2018 07:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).