The India Meteorological Division (IMD) has issued an alert as Cyclone ‘Michaung’, which is brewing over the Bay of Bengal and the South Andaman Sea, is gaining energy. Cyclone Michaung, is predicted to skip Chennai and make landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam with winds that would pack speeds of as much as 100 kmph on Tuesday morning.
The Cyclone is prone to intensify right into a cyclonic storm over the Southwest Bay of Bengal in the course of the subsequent 24 hours. Thereafter, it will attain the west-central Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by December 4.
The alert has prompted the Puducherry authorities to declare a vacation for faculties in Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam areas and different state governments to place their response groups on standby. The Southern Railway has cancelled 118 trains in Tamil Nadu, together with intra-state long-distance trains, between December 3-6.
Sunanda, the Managing Director id Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, stated, “The deep depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred on December 2, 2023, over the same region near Latitude 10.6°N and Longitude 83.6°E, about 440 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 450 km east-southeast of Chennai, 580 km south-southeast of Nellore, 670 km south-southeast of Bapatla and 670 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam.”
“It is likely to move west-northwestward and intensify into a cyclonic storm over the Southwest Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Thereafter, it would move northwestwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by the December 4 forenoon,” she added.
“Thereafter, it would move nearly northwards, almost parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coasts and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Nellore and Machilipatnam during the forenoon of December 5 as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph,” she stated additional.
S Balachandran, Deputy-Director Normal of Meteorology, Chennai, stated, “There is a depression over the South West Bay of Bengal. It is moving continuously northwestward, and the next 24 hours are likely to concentrate the cyclone further. It will move northwestward direction and reach the west-central Bay of south Andhra and north Tamil Nadu coast on December 4. Then it will move parallel to the coast in a northward direction.”
Based on the Met Workplace, north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will obtain heavy rainfall on December 3 and 4, which is able to lower thereafter. In coastal Andhra Pradesh, the heavy rains will proceed until December 6. In Odisha, too, heavy rainfall has been predicted until December 6.
The Climate Workplace has requested fishermen to remain off the Southwest Bay of Bengal and alongside and off North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts until December 4, the west-central Bay of Bengal and alongside and off the Andhra Pradesh coast until December 5 and the South Odisha coast until December 5.
The Climate Workplace has requested the fishermen out at sea to return to the coast in the course of the subsequent 12 hours.