According to the warning issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in the morning, a storm named Gulab may hit the coastal areas of southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh late Sunday evening. According to the latest information, the India Meteorological Department informed that the storm has started knocking on the coast and it will pass 25 km north of Kalingapatnam in the next three hours and it is likely to hit the coast at midnight. Meanwhile, information has been received about the disappearance of six fishermen who had gone to the Bay of Bengal from Srikakulam, the northern coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. Due to the raging rose storm, three coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam are receiving moderate to moderate rainfall.
The Meteorological Department had issued a storm warning in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the morning itself. According to Umashankar Das, a senior meteorologist with the Meteorological Department, Gulab is likely to hit near Kalingapatnam in the coastal areas of southern Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh by Sunday evening. During this time, wind speed reaching 70-80 kmph is likely. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner K Kanna Babu said that the rose storm is located about 85 km from Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district and is likely to hit the coast between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur in Odisha at midnight. He held a review meeting with district magistrates and other officials in Visakhapatnam and directed them to be on high alert.
Also, there is a possibility of heavy rain in West Bengal due to the Rose Storm. Kolkata, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas along with East Midnapore are expected to receive heavy rains from Tuesday. Kolkata Police has opened a control room named Unified Command Center to deal with the storm. Due to the cyclone, there is a possibility of heavy rain with light rain in many districts of Odisha on September 25 and 28.