Cyclone Michaung to make landfall on Dec 5 in coastal Andhra; heavy rain forecast

CHENNAI: Cyclone Michaung, brewing over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to skip the city and make landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam with winds that could pack speeds of upto 100 kmph on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to ANI, Sunanda, MD, Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, India Meteorological Centre, said, "The deep depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred on December 2, 2023, over the same region near Latitude 10.6°N and Longitude 83.6°E, about 440 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 450 km east-southeast of Chennai, 580 km south-southeast of Nellore, 670 km south-southeast of Bapatla and 670 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam."

"It is likely to move west-northwestward and intensify into a cyclonic storm over the Southwest Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Thereafter, it would move northwestwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by the December 4 forenoon," she added.

"Thereafter, it would move nearly northwards, almost parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coasts and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Nellore and Machilipatnam during the forenoon of December 5 as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph," she informed further. Also sharing his bytes on Cyclone 'Michaung', S Balachandran, deputy director general of Meteorology, Chennai, told ANI on Saturday,

"There is depression over the South West Bay of Bengal. It is moving continuously north-westward and the next 24 hours is likely to see the cyclone gathering more strength. It will move in a north-westward direction and reach the West Central Bay of South Andhra and the North Tamil Nadu Coast by December 4. It will then move parallel to the coast in a northward direction."

Meanwhile, a 50-member team from the National Disaster Response arrived in the Kanchipuram district from Bengaluru as a precaution for cyclone 'Michaung' on Saturday.

The looming cyclonic storm over the Southwest Bay of Bengal prompted meteorological authorities to issue a comprehensive rainfall warning for several regions in southern and eastern India.

The forecast predicts light to moderate rainfall at most places in north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on December 2, with isolated heavy rainfall expected.

Rainfall intensity is set to increase from December 3, with most places experiencing rain and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places. Isolated, extremely heavy rainfall is anticipated on December 3.

Rainfall is expected at most places on December 4, with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated locations.

Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely on December 5 but is likely to ease off thereafter.