Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
TN, APCyclone Phethai: Met predicts another cyclone.

After Cyclone ‘Gaja’ wreaked havoc in Southern India (especially Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), now again the alarm bells are ringing over South as India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the formation of a cyclone by Friday.

‘Phethai’ is a tropical cyclonic storm has begun to develop in the Bay of Bengal as a result of which south Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu are likely to suffer. The cyclone is believed to generate surface winds of 120kmph which is enough to cause the devastation on the scale of Cyclone ‘Gaja’.

Although there is no unanimity over the point of Phethai‘s landfall, yet the numerical models used by IMD have forecasted that it would head to Andhra Pradesh.

S Balachandran, deputy director-general of IMD Chennai said, “Even if it moves towards AP, it would still be about 200-300 km from north coastal TN. So, the likelihood of Chennai getting heavy downpour from outer bands for at least a day is high.”

IMD released a bulletin stating, “Depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal… is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression in next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours. It is likely to move north-westwards towards Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts during the next 72 hours.”

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has forecasted the brewing of high waves in the range of 3.0 – 3.5 meters on December 16 along the coast of Tamil Nadu from Dhanushkodi to Pulicat.

The government has alerted all the deep sea fishing vessels to return back to the nearest harbor. Also, the issue of the fishing token has been stopped from Wednesday.

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