Depression to intensify into cyclone, cross Andhra coast on Monday: IMD

BHUBANESWAR: The depression over the Bay of Bengal on Saturday intensified into a deep depression and is likely to become a cyclone before crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam on Monday, IMD said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy rainfall in Odisha on Monday and Tuesday under the influence of the system.

The depression moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 18 kmph and intensified into a deep depression.

It lay centred around 500 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 510 km east-southeast of Chennai, 630 km southeast of Nellore and 710 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam at 5.30 am, the IMD said in its morning bulletin.

The IMD said the system is likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm over southwest Bay of Bengal in the next 24 hours.

Thereafter, it would move northwestwards and reach westcentral Bay of Bengal off the south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by December 4.

If the system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called ‘Michaung’, a name suggested by Myanmar.