VISAKHAPATNAM: Cyclone Asani, which developed over southeast regions of Bay of Bengal, intensified into a severe cyclone on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that as per the projected cyclone movement track, the storm will reach close to the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast by Tuesday. It is unlikely to make a landfall and it could skirt the coastal districts of these states in the next two days.
Director of IMD-Amaravati, Stella S said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur over East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts with squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Severe cyclonic storm ‘Asani’ (pronounced as Asani) over westcentral and adjoining south Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 25/kmph during past six hours and laid centered about 920km northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands), 770km westnorthwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 500km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 650km south of Puri (Odisha).
It is likely to move northwestwards till May 10 and reach westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts.
Thereafter, it is likely to recurve northnortheastwards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast. It is likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during next 48 hours.
