Bay of Bengal low to become cyclonic storm by Oct 26; IMD warns Andhra, Odisha of extremely heavy rain
IMD says the low-pressure area will become a depression on Oct 24 and a cyclonic storm by Oct 26 before nearing the north Andhra and south Odisha coasts.
A well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is expected to strengthen into a depression on Saturday, 24 October, and into a cyclonic storm by the morning of 26 October, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. The system is forecast to move west-northwest and reach close to the north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts around early 28 October.
The weather office has warned of extremely heavy rainfall, above 20 cm in 24 hours, over parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and has asked fishermen, ports and offshore operators to prepare.
How the system is expected to develop
The low-pressure area formed over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on the morning of 23 October. As of 5:30 am on 24 October, winds in the area were blowing at 35 to 45 km/h, gusting to 55 km/h, ANI reported, citing IMD’s special message.
- 24 October: intensification into a depression; winds of 45 to 55 km/h, gusting to 65 km/h
- 25 October: deep depression; winds of 55 to 65 km/h, gusting to 75 km/h
- 26 October (morning): cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal; winds of 70 to 80 km/h, gusting to 90 km/h
- 28 October (early morning): likely near the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts
IMD has said the time, place and strength at landfall will be specified once the system becomes a depression.
Rain warnings for coastal states
Rain is expected to begin along coastal Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh on 26 October. On 27 October, heavy to very heavy rain is likely at a few places in coastal Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh, with isolated extremely heavy falls in Andhra Pradesh and isolated heavy rain in coastal West Bengal.
Rainfall is expected to peak on 28 October over north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, with extremely heavy rain at some places. West Bengal may get heavy to very heavy rain at isolated spots. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar could see isolated heavy rain and squally winds around 28 and 29 October.
In Odisha, IMD’s Bhubaneswar centre flagged Ganjam, Gajapati and Puri for possible extremely heavy rain, with heavy to very heavy rain likely in districts including Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Khordha, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj and Kalahandi, according to ANI.
Fishermen told to stay ashore
Fishermen already at sea were asked to return to the coast by the morning of 24 October, Deccan Chronicle reported. They have been advised to stay away from the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal from 26 to 29 October, when seas are expected to turn very rough. IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra urged fisheries, shipping, port and offshore authorities to activate their emergency protocols.
States begin preparations
Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a preparedness review in Bhubaneswar on Friday, attended by IMD and fire services officials. Pujari said the state was getting ready for a system expected to approach the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts. Specific measures by the Andhra Pradesh government were not detailed in the reports reviewed.
What next
IMD is expected to issue more precise track and landfall forecasts after the depression forms. Residents of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are advised to follow official bulletins and district administration alerts.
Sources
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