It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island, Mr Mohapatra told NDTV.

The cyclone is currently around 220 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha). It is very likely to move north-northwest, intensify further into a Very severe cyclonic storm over the next 12 hours.

The maximum wind speed of Yaas is expected to be up to 185 km per hour between 5.30 and 11.30 am along the north Odisha coast, which would be the epicentre of the landfall, he added.

Around 1.4 million people in Odisha and half a million people in Bengal have been evacuated from their homes. Officials said it has been a challenge to provide them accommodation while maintaining social distancing.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced she will stay at the state secretariat tonight to monitor the rescue and relief operation.

Along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 54,000 officers and relief workers, 2 lakh police and Home Guard personnel, will be deployed in Bengal.

In Bengal, the districts of West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas — and state capital Kolkata — may experience storm with wind speeds of upto 120 km per hour.

Odisha’s districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are likely to be affected.

The weather office has warned that the high winds can destroy houses, bend or uproot electric poles and disrupt railway services in coastal areas and the adjoining areas in Bengal.  

While conditions in Bay of Bengal — including high surface temperature of water — are conducive for cyclones, experts attributed their increasing frequency and intensity to climate change. The super cyclone of 1999 had killed around 10,000 people in Odisha.