Rain and wind are lashing India's east coast, where nearly 400,000 people have fled to storm shelters to escape the strongest cyclone to threaten the country in more than a decade.
Meteorologists say Cyclone Phailin is expected to make landfall by nightfall with winds nearing 220 km/h.
"Heavy to very heavy rainfall, at most places, with extremely heavy rain fall in isolated pockets is expected," said Laxman Singh Rathore, director general of the India Meteorological Department.
Gathering strength in the Bay of Bengal, the cyclone was about 300 kilometres offshore on Saturday morning, satellite images showed.
Waves crash onto the shore at a fishing harbour in Visakhapatnam district in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. (R. Narendra/Reuters)
The storm verged on becoming a "super cyclone" and was expected to affect 12 million people, officials said.
Crowd of villagers were seen carrying their belongings as they walked down the streets towards cyclone shelters and schools built on elevated areas.
The State Chief of India's eastern Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, said arrangements were being made to provide relief material and food to people who would be affected by the cyclone.
"Steps have been taken to evacuate people from low-lying areas and bring relief material and food to people who will be affected by the cyclone, medical supplies as well," said Patnaik.
Muslims and Hindus gathered at mosques and temples in Odisha state, praying Phailin would not be as devastating as a similar storm that killed 10,000 people 14 years ago. Heavy rain pounded coastal villages in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Phailin was expected to cause a 3.4-metre surge in sea levels when it hits the coast, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.
In nearby Andhra Pradesh, heavy rain and strong winds pummelled a coastal highway, and left lush green fields sodden with water.
It also evoked memories of an Indian storm in 1999, when winds reaching speeds of 300 km/h battered Odisha for 30 hours.
A resident, Abhi Pradhan, highlighted the plight of the villagers being accommodated in the shelters.
"There are not enough rooms in the shelter and it is tough to accommodate. We haven't had a proper meal since yesterday night. We are very troubled due to heavy rains. The toilets at the shelter are also not functioning," said Pradhan.
Authorities warned of extensive damage to crops, village dwellings and old buildings, as well as disruption of power, water and rail services. Shelters were being stocked with rations, and leave for government employees was cancelled.
London-based Tropical Storm Risk said the storm was already in that category, and classed it as a Category 5 storm — the strongest. The U.S. Navy's weather service said wind at sea was gusting at 314 km/h.
Some forecasters likened its size and intensity to hurricane Katrina, which tore through the U.S. Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005.
Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast on August 29, 2005, killing about 1,800 people, including many in New Orleans where levees failed to hold back storm surges.
It was one of the six biggest hurricanes — also known as cyclones and typhoons — ever recorded and caused damage of around $75 billion.
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