28 trains have been cancelled and few others have been diverted, rescheduled, regulated and terminated for a short period of time due to Cyclone Gulab.

As per the satellite observations at 5.30 pm on the day, the cyclone was located over northwest Bay of Bengal and was 370 km east-southeast of Gopalpur, Odisha, and 440 km east of Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This is the third cyclone of 2021 after Tauktae and Yaas that had formed in May this year.

Like most recent storms that have crossed Indian coasts, this system, too, is rapidly intensifying. In less than 48 hours, it intensified from low pressure (wind speed less than 34kms/hr) to a deep depression (wind speed 51 to 61kms/hr).

In the wake of the approaching storm, the IMD has forecast light to moderate intensity rain (2.4mm to 644mm in 24-hours) over West Bengal, Odisha, and coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. On Sunday, the Met department has warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rain (115.6mm to over 204.4mm in 24-hours) over south Odisha, north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Heavy rain is likely over Telangana, north interior Odisha and Chhattisgarh.