Yet another severe cyclonic storm heading for Andhra coast

OST Weather Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Nov 25:

It’s real bad time for people in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

After Phailin and Helen, the area is likely to be battered by a fresh cyclonic  storm that could gather wind speed up to 180 kmph with gusts reaching to 200 kmph.

The cyclonic storm, christened ‘Lehar’ is heading for the Andhra coast, the Met department said on Sunday. It will, however, spare Odisha which will only receive heavy to heavy rainfall under its impact on November 27 and 28, Met sources said.

According to the bulletin issued on Sunday night, ‘Lehar’ over Andaman Sea which has remained practically stationary about 120 km east-southeast of Port Blair would intensify further, move west-northwestwards and cross Andaman & Nicobar Islands, close to Port Blair around early morning today and then emerge into southeast Bay of Bengal, and develop gradually into a very severe cyclonic storm.

It would then move west-northwestwards and  cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada around November 28 noon, the bulletin said.

The Met department said the weather will remain mainly dry over Odisha in the next 24 hours while warning against possible damage to the standing paddy crop due to heavy to very heavy rainfall immediately before and after the cyclonic storm’s landfall along the Andhra coast on November 28.

Distant Warning signal number Two (DW-II)  have been kept hoisted  at Gopalpur and Paradip ports.

Fishermen who are in deep sea have been advised to return to safety.