Well marked low pressure area to intensify into depression in 12 hours: IMD

Bhubaneswar, May 7 (Reporters Today): The well marked low pressure area that lies over Southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea is very likely to move northwestwards, intensify into a Depression over southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours, and further into a cyclonic storm over East central Bay of Bengal by the evening of May 8, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

It is very likely to continue to move north-westwards and reach West-central Bay of Bengal off north Andhra-Odisha coasts by May 10, it forecast.

The agency said that under its influence, heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Andaman & Nicobar Islands on May 6 and 7, and heavy rainfall over Odisha on May 11.

The weather office said that favorable conditions exist in the sea for the creation of a cyclonic storm, it said.

It advised fishermen not to venture into Andaman Sea & Southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 3 days; into east-central Bay of Bengal during the next 4 days and into Wes central & Northwest Bay of Bengal on May 10 and 11.

Meanwhile, Odisha Government has braced for a possible cyclone and kept men and machine ready to combat any eventualities. State’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena informed that 17 teams of NDRF, 20 teams of ODRAF and 175 fire services teams have been put on high alert while Director-General of Fire Services SK Upadhyay said all leaves of fire services personnel have been cancelled.

However, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any forecast over a possible cyclone.

“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,” Mohapatra had said on Friday.