Deep depression to bring rain, fury

Visakhapatnam: With the low-pressure area over Bay of Bengal turning into a depression and is likely to intensify further into a deep depression, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned that very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over coastal AP during the next 24 hours.

The system is expected to cross the eastern coast on Thursday midnight between Kalingapatnam and Puri of Odisha, close to Gopalpur. The IMD also predicted squally weather with wind speed reaching up to 75 kmph along and off the coast of Andhra Pradesh till Friday morning.

The sea will be rough to very rough over North Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 24 hours. The IMD advised the fishermen not to venture into northwest Bay of Bengal and North Andhra Pradesh coasts till Friday evening.

Already the district authorities of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam have opened control rooms. Fire service teams of north coastal Andhra Pradesh have been high alerted. One team of NDRF deployed to Srikakulam and two teams of NDRF on standby in Visakhapatnam.

Under the influence of the depression, heavy rains are lashing north coastal districts for the last 12 hours. With this restless rain, normal life has been paralysed in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts. The agency pockets also are receiving heavy rains since last midnight.