CHENNAI: A deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal weakened into a depression on Saturday morning and is expected to cross the north Sri Lanka coast between Trincomalee and Jaffna around noon or in the afternoon, the meteorological department said.
The Regional Meteorological Centre said that as of 5.30 a.m., the system was moving at a speed of 12 kmph during the previous six hours and lay centred about 490 km southeast of Chennai. It is likely to continue to move northwestwards and cross the north Sri Lanka coast between Trincomalee and Jaffna as a depression later in the day.
Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore and Puducherry on Saturday. Heavy rain is also likely at isolated places over Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram.
Surface wind speeds of 35 to 45 kmph are likely to prevail over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry areas. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along these coasts.
Those already at sea have been asked to avoid the southeast and southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining east equatorial Indian Ocean, including areas along and off the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, the Gulf of Mannar and the Comorin region on Saturday.