Strong storm brewing in Bay of Bengal; fishing suspended near Andaman

A storm is brewing in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify into a cyclone on Sunday evening, packing a wind speed of over 75 km per hour, and move towards the coast of northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

According to a special bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the weather system had intensified into a depression, and at 1130 hours of Saturday lay 170 km west of Car Nicobar Island (Nicobar Islands) and 300 km south-south-west of Port Blair.

If the weather system intensifies into a cyclone it will be called Asani, Sinhalese for 'wrath'. This would be the first cyclonic storm of the season as a similar weather event in March had fizzled out before it could acquire the strength of a cyclone.

The present weather system was expected to further intensify into a cyclonic storm on Sunday over east central Bay of Bengal and continue to move north-eastwards till May 10 and reach off the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

"Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast," the bulletin said.

The weather office has said that the sea conditions were likely to become rough from Saturday onwards and have advised fishermen not to venture into the Andaman Sea and southeast Bay of Bengal on Saturday and Sunday.

It has also advised fishermen out in the sea to return to the coast as sea conditions are expected to be rough over central Bay of Bengal on Monday.

The weather office has suggested total suspension of fishing and tourism activities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands till Sunday.

"We have not yet made any forecast on where it will make landfall. We have also not mentioned anything on the possible wind speed during the landfall," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.