Cyclone Update: Here’s how Cyclone Phethai might affect Vizag

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a severe cyclone in the coming 24 hours. Currently laying 870 km Machilipatnam, the cyclone might hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh on 17 December, an official from the Cyclone Warning Centre informed Yo! Vizag.

“The coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh are likely to receive rainfall from Sunday evening as the depression nears the coast, he shared. Also, shedding light on how the cyclone might affect the weather in Vizag, the official said that the city is likely to experience bad weather with rains and winds in the coming few days. However, by stating that the wind speeds might lie around 50 kmph, he assured that the effects will not be as harsh as in the case of a few of the earlier devastating cyclones that hit Vizag.

IMD Bulletin

“The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved further west-northwestwards with a speed of 13 Kmph during past 06 hours and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of 15th December 2018 over southwest & adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal near Latitude 9.2°N and Longitude 85.2°E. It is very likely to intensify further into a Cyclonic Storm during next 24 hours and into a Severe Cyclonic Storm in subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Kakinada during 17th December afternoon. Under its effect, extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh, very heavy rainfall at isolated places of Odisha and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Chhattisgarh on 16th and 17th December and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand on 17th December,” a bulletin released by the Indian Meteorological Department read.