Don’t venture into sea, follow advisories: IMD warns as cyclone threat looms over Andhra-Odisha coast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded alert and advised people on Saturday to follow traffic advisories in view of the formation of a low-pressure area over the South Andaman Sea and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal.

The low-pressure area is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Sunday evening. It is likely to continue to move northwestwards and reach west-central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha shores by next week.

In case a cyclone is formed, it will be named “Asani”.

The low-pressure area is very likely to move north-westwards and intensify into a depression over the south-east Bay of Bengal, and into a cyclonic storm over the east-central Bay of Bengal, IMD Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra was quoted by PTI as saying.

“We have not yet made any forecast on where it will make landfall. We have also not mentioned anything on the possible wind speed during the landfall,” Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.