IMD issues alert for Cyclone Fani in Uttar Pradesh; farmers advised to take protective measures for crops

New Delhi: A fresh alert has been issued in the wake of Fani cyclone in the state of Uttar Pradesh by the India Meteorological Department. IMD has warned about rainfall and gale wind in the state on May 2 and May 3, asking farmers to take preventive measures to save their crops. The storm which had been building up since April 25 has intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' and it will cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali by Friday afternoon, the IMD said on Tuesday. The storm which developed over the Bay of Bengal basin may cause light to moderate rainfall in Uttar Pradesh along with high speed Eastern winds in the range of 30km/h to 40km/h. This is also expected to lead to an increase in the humidity. The weather department advised farmers and warehouses to make proper arrangements for storing the harvested crops, grains kept in open, and the ready crops in the fields, in order to protect them from moisture and the high speed winds. Navy, Coast Guard ships and copters, NDRF teams deployed along east coast Navy and Coast Guard ships and helicopters, relief teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in strategic locations, while Army and Air Force units have been put on standby as severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' is approaching towards India's eastern coast, officials said Tuesday. The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to deal with emergency situations, met here Tuesday for the second time in as many days and reviewed the preparedness with the states and departments concerned of the central government to deal with the situation arising out of the cyclonic storm. Fani intensifies into 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' "It has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm," Additional Director General of the IMD Mritunjay Mohapatra said, news agency PTI reported. 'Fani' is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, to the south of Puri around May 3 afternoon with maximum sustained wind speed of 175-185 kilometres per hour gusting to 205 kmph, the IMD said. The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kmph gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195-200 kmph.