A well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is forecast to strengthen into a cyclonic storm and reach the coast between north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha on the morning of October 28, according to the India Meteorological Department, as reported by The Hindu. The system is expected to deepen into a depression during Saturday, October 24, the IMD said.
The low-pressure area had formed over the east-central and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal at 5.30 a.m. on Friday, October 23, and was still over the same region at 8.30 a.m. that day, the Bhubaneswar Met Centre said. The Hindu reports that the IMD expects it to become a deep depression on Sunday and a cyclonic storm by Monday morning before moving towards the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts.
Why it matters
The projected path puts two states on alert and has already changed official schedules. President Droupadi Murmu's two-day visit to Odisha, due to begin on October 28, has been postponed, with officials at the Chief Secretary's office citing unfavourable weather forecasts and safety precautions. Her Mayurbhanj engagements have been rescheduled for November 4-5, according to The Hindu.
In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu issued instructions late on Friday asking officials to prepare for heavy rain under the developing system. He also asked them to use the expected rainfall in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to fill reservoirs and irrigation tanks. "Remain alert and take precautionary measures in view of heavy rainfall likely under the influence of a developing cyclone over the Bay of Bengal," he said in a press release, as reported by The Hindu.
The Hindu also reports that fishermen have been urged to return to shore and that evacuations have been advised in areas likely to be affected.
Rain alerts spread across the south
K. Naga Ratna, head of the Amaravati Meteorological Centre in Andhra Pradesh, said the system was likely to cross the coast in the early hours of October 28 and then move towards Odisha the following day, The Hindu reports.
Ahead of landfall, the IMD has predicted moderate to heavy rainfall across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry until October 26. Chennai and its neighbourhood are expected to see general moderate rain over the next two days, with the possibility of heavy downpours on Saturday and Sunday. Heavy rain with lightning and thunder hit Tiruchi and other delta districts on Friday evening, slowing traffic during peak hours and causing snarls in several parts of the city, according to The Hindu.
Kerala faces the sharpest warnings. The IMD has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in five districts: Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad on October 25, and Idukki and Palakkad on October 26. An orange alert covers Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod on Saturday, warning of very heavy rain in isolated places. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam are under a yellow alert for Saturday.
The Hindu also reports that farmers are worried about the heavy rain forecast.
Landslide kills bus driver in the Nilgiris
Separately, a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation driver died when his bus was caught in a landslide on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor ghat road at Burliyar, near the Coimbatore-Nilgiris border, in the night between Friday and Saturday. The driver was identified as Janagaraj, 55, of Katteri in the Nilgiris district. He was travelling from Coonoor to Coimbatore when soil and debris came down onto the vehicle, The Hindu reports. No passengers were on board. The conductor was rescued and admitted to the Mettupalayam Government Hospital.
More than 300 people were stranded as heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslips along the ghat route, according to The Hindu.
Dry spell in Rajasthan
Away from the southern system, a western disturbance brought light to moderate rain to isolated places in Rajasthan, the Meteorological Department said on Saturday. In the 24 hours to Saturday morning, rain was recorded in Kotputli-Behror, Khairthal-Tijara, Alwar, Deeg, Dausa and Churu districts, while the rest of the state stayed largely dry. Viratnagar in Kotputli-Behror recorded the highest figure at 25 mm. Mostly dry weather is expected across Rajasthan for three to four days from October 25, the department said.
The next milestone to watch is whether the system deepens into a depression on Saturday as forecast, and how its track shifts before it nears the coast on October 28.
