Dark clouds over Gopalpur beach in Odisha on Saturday. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Patna, Oct. 11: The eye of the very severe cyclonic storm Hudhud came as close as 250km southeast of Visakhapatnam, or 1,150km south of Patna, this evening.

Hudhud is likely to make landfall around Visakhapatnam by forenoon on Sunday.

Patna meteorological centre has not sounded any alert in Bihar, but images from Kalpana-1 satellite showed cloudy patches over southern parts of the state on Saturday evening.

On the eve of the expected landfall, The Telegraph looks at Hudhud in the eye.

What’s Hudhud?

Oman has named this cyclone after the Arabic word for Hoopoe, a colourful bird with a conspicuous crest.

Why such a name?

India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand take turns to name cyclones in the north Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal). The last storm, Naunak, was named by Myanmar. Pakistan has name the next one, Nilofer.

When is Hudhud likely to make landfall?

Between morning and afternoon on Sunday, somewhere between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur.

What is the expected windspeed during landfall?

From 170-180 kmph, it could go up to 195kmph. Cyclone Phailin , which hit Gopalpur coast last October, roared at 210kmph.

How ferocious?

The sea will be rough and the accompanying rain torrential. Generally, up to 500km on either side of the landfall area becomes vulnerable to intense weather activity. But, met experts say, if landfall is on the hilly areas near Visakhapatnam, impact on Odisha and other eastern states would be much less than predicted.

What is the expected damage after landfall?

As per cyclone bulletin issued by IMD’s headquarters in New Delhi, storm surge of about 1-2m above astronomical tide would inundate low-lying areas of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts in north coastal Andhra Pradesh at landfall. North Andhra and south Odisha are likely to face large-scale disruption of power and communication lines, and rail and road traffic, besides potential threat from flying debris and damage to agricultural crops.

What about after the landfall?

Intensity of very severe cyclonic storm will remain for six hours and subsequently weaken into a cyclonic storm while moving northwestwards across south interior Odisha and Chattisgarh.

How much rain will Hudhud bring to Patna?

Weathermen claim cloud formation over most places in Bihar, especially southern parts, by Sunday evening and till Tuesday. Patna could get isolated light to moderate rain, south Bihar comparatively more rain.

How windy would it be in Patna?

R.K. Giri, meteorologist at Patna meteorological centre, said Patna and central and south Bihar would witness maximum wind speeds of 30-35kmph. Normal wind speed this time of the year is 4 to 7kmph.

Is disaster management department ready?

IMD has not issued any warning but Bihar disaster management principal secretary Vyasji said they are keeping a close watch. He said: “Bihar is expected to be quite far from Hudhud but we are prepared to tackle any exigencies in case the storm changes trajectory like Phailin.