Cyclone Fani, a powerful storm, struck India's eastern coast around 8 a.m. local time (0320 GMT).
More than 100 million people are in Fani's path as it makes landfall in Odisha state with torrential rains and winds gusting up to 200 kilometers per hour.
Close to 60 km (37 miles) inland, high winds uprooted trees and electricity poles in the state capital, Bhubaneshwar, where authorities had ordered the airport closed, Reuters reported. Schools and colleges in Odisha were also shut.
Indian authorities have evacuated more than 1.2 million people from the coastal, low-lying areas and plan to move thousands more before the cyclone made landfall, and there were no early reports of casualties.
"We are maximizing efforts at all levels for evacuation," Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said.