The cyclonic storm Nargis with a core of winds speeding at 70 km per hour may hit the eastern coast within the next 12 hours, IANS quoted an official at the regional meteorological centre as saying in Chennai on Tuesday night.
“Nargis, now centred around 350 km southeast of here in the Bay of Bengal, is moving in a north-westerly direction slowly. It can cross the coast anywhere between Nagappattinam and southeast Andhra Pradesh within the next 12 hours,” the met official said. “These rain-bearing winds may result in the Bay of Bengal turning choppy and heavy rain lashing the coastal areas,” the official said.
Wet weather pounded the Tamil Nadu coast from Kanyakumari to the southern edge of the capital, leading to a level-3 caution sign being put up in minor fishing harbours of Nagappattinam and Cuddalore, state government sources added.
Cyclone intensifies
Meanwhile, the Cyclone Warning Centre in Bhubaneswar said Nargis has positioned itself nearly 600 km south of Orissa’s Gopalpur and was likely to intensify before advancing slowly in a northerly direction, PTI reported.
As result of the cyclonic development, rain or thundershower is likely to occur at a few places in south and north Orissa.
The system has intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” this morning and lay centred near latitude 14 degree north and longitude 85.5 degree east.
“The system is likely to intensify and move slowly in a northerly direction for sometime. Thereafter, it is likely to move north-eastwards,” officials said.
The Cyclone Warning Centre of the meteorological department has advised hoisting Distant Signal-2 for storm warning in Paradip and Gopalpur ports
