Moderate to heavy rain in coastal Andhra as Cyclone Asani lies over Bay of Bengal

Hyderabad: Moderate to heavy rain 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 over 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 weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and move towards the Odisha coast, the weather bulletin said.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places. Squally winds with speed reaching up to 40-60 kmph are likely to be witnessed in the next 24 hours,” the bulletin from IMD, Amaravati said.

According to reports reaching the state secretariat, the sea has been very rough for the last 12 hours due to gusty winds. A 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 rainfall ranging from 2 cm to 8.5 cm, accompanied by gales, were seen in Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru districts. There were reports that trees and electric poles had been uprooted in Bhimavaram, Narasapuram, Pedavegi, Mudinepalli and Bhimadole areas of West Godavari district.

An official in the state disaster management department said while the district administrations of the north coastal districts had been kept on high alert, the intensity of the cyclonic storm may not be very high, that might require evacuation of people from villages. “We are closely watching the situation,” he said.