Cyclone Titli is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by noon today. The situation is being monitored at the highest level. The national weather office IMD had issued a red alert yesterday over a deep depression present for some time over the Bay of Bengal that has intensified into a cyclonic storm and was heading towards the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast. Titli is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours, the IMD had added.
The Odisha government has alerted all district authorities to prepare for emergency relief work. The IMD has also warned of heavy rain in West Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh. The Odisha government has announced the closure of all schools and colleges from today in four districts of the state as a precautionary measure against Cyclone in Odisha.
Titli lays centred at about 510 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 460 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, the cyclone is likely to make landfall between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam early on Thursday morning and may trigger heavy rain accompanied by strong winds blowing at 125kmph.