Asani weakens, states brace for heavy rain as IMD issues alerts
HT Correspondents
HYDERABAD/BHUBANESWAR/ KOLKATA: Several parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are bracing for heavy rain as severe cyclone Asani weakened to a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, barrelling towards north coastal Andhra Pradesh, packing a wind speed of 85 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The weather system is likely to further lose steam and turn into a depression by Thursday morning, it said.
“It is very likely to move nearly northwards for next few hour and recurve slowly northnortheastwards along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts during noon to evening on Wednesday, and emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coasts by night,” the IMD said in a bulletin.
The Andhra Pradesh government sounded a high alert in all the coastal districts, while the Odisha government did the same in five southern districts — Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada,
Ganjam and Gajapati.
A bulletin from Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam said the cyclonic storm lay centred about 30 km east-southeast of Machilipatnam in Krishna district by Wednesday afternoon. The CWC issued a red alert, warning of heavy rain in isolated places in Krishna, East Godavari, Yanam, West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.
In Odisha, light to moderate rain or thundershower is likely to occur in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the regional meteorological centre said.
Meanwhile, the weather office in Kolkata said the system is likely to cause light to moderate rain in the districts of Gangetic West Bengal.