Bay of Bengal depression to turn into cyclonic storm

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said the depression over the East Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal lay centred at about 1,440 km southeast of Chennai.

According to the IMD, the depression is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 24 hours and turn into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 12 hours.

The storm, thereafter, is very likely to move northwestwards off the Sri Lanka coast during next 96 hours and reach north Tamil Nadu and the south Andhra Pradesh coast on the evening of April 30.

The IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places in Kerala over April 29-30, and over north coastal Tamil Nadu on April 30 and May 1.

Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places are also very likely over south coastal Andhra Pradesh on April 30 and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh on May 1, the IMD said.