Low-pressure area over Southeast Bay of Bengal likely to turn into depression: IMD

NEW DELHI: A low-pressure area is forming over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea that is likely to turn into a depression by Wednesday morning, said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in a press release on Tuesday.

Subdued rainfall activity is likely over the Southern Indian Peninsula during the next 5 days and would increase significantly, the release added.

IMD said that a cyclonic circulation lies over the south Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood and it extends upto the middle tropospheric levels. As per IMD, under its influence, a Low-pressure area is likely to form over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea on November 16, 2022.

The Low-pressure area is likely to move west-northwestwards and would gradually concentrate into a Depression over central parts of the South Bay of Bengal at around November 18, 2022.

Under its influence, widespread rainfall with heavy falls likely at isolated places over Andaman & Nicobar Islands on November 15 and 16 2022, the press release added.

Charting out the route of the Low-pressure area, the IMD said that squally weather is likely to prevail over the South Andaman Sea and the adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal on the 16th; over the Southeast Bay of Bengal on the 17th and 18th and over the Southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Sri Lanka coast on November 18-19, 2022.

The IMD has issued a warning for the fishermen, not to venture into the South Andaman Sea and the adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal on the 16th and 17th; in the Southeast Bay of Bengal on the 17th and 18th; and in the Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka coast on the 18th and 19th November. Along with this, the IMD has also advised them not to go along and off the coasts at the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry region on November 20-21, 2022.

Apart from disturbances in the South-Eastern region, the statement also mentioned the Western Disturbances as a trough in mid-tropospheric westerlies. The IMD predicts that the Western Disturbance would result in scattered, light to moderate snowfall likely over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit Baltistan and the Muzaffarabad region as well as that of Himachal Pradesh on the 18th and 19th of November, 2022.

In its press release, the IMD has said that a fall in temperatures by 2-4°C is likely over most parts of northwest India and the state of Madhya Pradesh during the next 3 days. IMD however assures that there would be no significant change, thereafter.

The press release by IMD points out that heavy to very heavy rainfall has occurred over the state of Tamil Nadu and heavy rainfall has occurred at isolated places over Kerala and Nicobar Islands. The statement further listed places from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as Coastal Andhra Pradesh, which has seen rainfall due to the low pressure.