E-Paper
Cyclone Asani brings heavy rain to north coastal Andhra; authorities step up vigil
The severe cyclonic storm is moving north-westwards with a speed of 16 kmph and is expected to get weakened gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and move towards Odisha coast, the weather bulletin said.
Moderate to heavy rains lashed several parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, as the Indian Meteorological Department warned of the presence of severe cyclonic storm Asani located in the Bay of Bengal, about 450 km southeast of Visakhapatnam.
The severe cyclonic storm is moving north-westwards with a speed of 16 kmph and is expected to get weakened gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and move towards Odisha coast, the weather bulletin said.
“Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places. Squally wind with speed reaching up to 40-60 kmph is likely to be witnessed in the next 24 hours,” said the bulletin from IMD, Amaravati.
Reports reaching the state secretariat said the sea has been very rough for the last 12 hours due to gusty winds. Second stage warning has been issued for all ports along the sea. The Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam issued a warning to fishermen asking them not to venture into the sea.
Moderate to heavy rains ranging from 2 cm to 8.5 cm, accompanied by gales, were witnessed in Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru districts. There were reports of uprooting of trees and electric poles from Bhimavaram, Narasapuram, Pedavegi, Mudinepalli and Bhimadole areas of West Godavari district.
An official in the state disaster management department said while the district administrations on the north coastal districts had been kept on high alert, the intensity of the cyclonic storm might not be very high, that might require evacuation of people from villages. “We are closely watching the situation,” he said.
