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Hours after intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm, Yaas made landfall in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Wednesday morning.
According to officials, the location of the landfall is north of Dhamra and south of Bahanaga, near the state's Balasore district. The wind speed during landfall was around 130-150 kmph.
"The landfall process has begun and will take three-four hours to complete," Odisha's top relief officer PK Jena told the media.
The maximum impact will be in Balasore and Bhadrak districts of Odisha, Jena said, adding that some 5.80 lakh people have already been evacuated from vulnerable areas.
Local TV channels aired footage of several coastal areas in Odisha and the neighbouring state of West Bengal being inundated due to rising water levels in the Bay of Bengal.
In Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that nearly 12 lakh people have been moved to safety from vulnerable places in view of Yaas.
Mamata has been camping at the state secretariat since Tuesday night, monitoring the situation on the ground. A control room has also been set up at the secretariat, she said.
Kolkata airport has been closed as a precautionary measure, officials said.
The cyclone has been named Yaas by Oman. Yaas, meaning the flower jasmine in English, has roots in the Persian language.