AP News: Severe Windstorm to Strengthen into Cyclone; Heavy Rain and Winds Forecast for South Coast

Highlights

A severe cyclone in the South Bay of Bengal is expected to strengthen into a storm, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the South Coast of India this week.

Amaravati — Forecasters predict that within the next six hours, a strong cyclone that is already developing in the South Bay of Bengal will intensify into a storm.

According to Jagannath Kumar, a representative of the Visakhapatnam Meteorological Centre, as of Wednesday morning, the system was located 470 kilometres from Puducherry and 550 kilometres south-southeast of Chennai. Over the course of the following twelve hours, the cyclone is expected to strengthen into a storm while moving in a north-northwest direction.

In the next few days, it is expected that the storm's path will change to the coast of Tamil Nadu. The South Coast region is, therefore, anticipated to get moderate to heavy rainfall, with the possibility of gusty gusts of 35 to 55 km/h, especially along the coastal areas. Residents are being warned by local authorities to remain vigilant because conditions may deteriorate by Thursday and Friday.

In order to protect coastal communities and infrastructure, plans are currently being planned for any interruptions.