Weather alert: North Coastal Andhra to receive rain as low pressure likely to turn into Jawad cyclone

The low-pressure area in the south-eastern Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea strengthened into a cyclone. The cyclone, which is centered about 960 km from Visakhapatnam, will intensify and turn into a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal on Friday, Disaster Management Commissioner K Kannababu and officials of the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Center said. It is likely to travel northwestwards to the west-central Bay of Bengal coast and reach the northern and southern Odisha coasts on Saturday, he said.

As a result, moderate to heavy showers are expected at several places in North Coastal Andhra for 2 days with winds up to 45-65 kilometers per hour along the coast from midnight on Friday and 70-90 kilometers per hour on Saturday. Fishermen were warned not to go hunting until Monday and people are advised to be vigilant. Moderate rains are expected along the south coast and in Rayalaseema.

Meanwhile, the East Coast Railway Khurdha Division office said 95 trains would be halted on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This includes 41 express trains passing through Vijayawada.

CM directs collectors of North Coastal Andhra districts in the wake of the cyclone. YS Jagan directed the collectors of the three districts of Uttaranchal to take precautionary measures in the cyclone-affected areas. In the wake of the cyclone threat to north Coastal Andhra, he held a review meeting with the District Collectors and CMO office bearers on Thursday morning before leaving for YSR Kadapa district. Speaking on the occasion, he directed to make all sorts of arrangements to open relief camps where necessary. Inland and submerged areas are advised to be vigilant.

He said that no one should be bothered by the conditions arising out of the cyclone. Three senior officers have been assigned to oversee the cyclone relief operations in North Coastal Andhra from time to time. H. Arun Kumar has been appointed for Srikakulam district, Kantilal Dande for Vizianagaram district, and Shyamala Rao for Visakhapatnam district. He directed officials to immediately reach out to the respective districts and take charge of the coordination and monitoring of hurricane relief operations.