BHUBANESWAR: A Cyclonic storm is likely to cross north Andhra Pradesh coast, closer to Odisha, by Sunday evening, informed the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The low pressure area that formed over east-central Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, has intensified into a depression over east-central and adjoining north-east Bay of Bengal on Friday. At around 5.30 pm, the depression lay centered over east-central and adjoining north-east Bay of Bengal about 670 km east-southeast of Gopalpur and 740 km east of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD said the system is likely to intensify into a deep depression in the wee hours of Saturday and then into a cyclonic storm by the evening.“It is likely to move initially west-northwestwards and then west-southwestwards and cross south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur by Sunday evening,” said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist, Umasankar Das.
Thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur at one or two places in Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Koraput and Rayagada districts on Saturday. Heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts during the same period.
The regional Met office has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places in Puri, Khurda and three other districts, and heavy rainfall at isolated places in Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and seven other districts on Sunday.
Under the influence of the tropical storm, squally weather with surface wind speed reaching 70 km/hr to 80 km/hr and gusting up to 90 km/hr is expected over north-west and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, along and off Odisha coast on Sunday.The regional Met office has advised fishermen not to venture into sea along and off Odisha coast, northwest and adjoining west-central Bay on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.