New Cyclone Intensifies Over Bay of Bengal and Threatens Andhra Pradesh Coast

New Cyclone Intensifies Over Bay of Bengal and Threatens Andhra Pradesh Coast

A new cyclone is gathering strength over the Bay of Bengal. Satellite images from space are capturing its gradual intensification as it moves towards India’s eastern coastline. Less than a week after the remnants of Cyclone Arnab swept across central India, another powerful weather system is now threatening coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a clear warning. The deep depression over the southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm within the next six hours. It is then expected to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm by November 2.

The latest INSAT-3DS thermal infrared satellite imagery, captured between 11:30 am and 11:57 am on November 1, shows a well-organised cloud system swirling over the Bay of Bengal, southeast of the Indian peninsula. The developing system displays a prominent spiral cloud structure. This indicates an organised weather disturbance that is gaining strength over warm ocean waters.

According to the IMD, the deep depression moved west-northwestwards at around 20 kmph during the three hours before its latest update. At 8:30 am on Sunday, November 1, it was centred over the southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal. The system lay approximately 630 km east-southeast of Chennai, 710 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 710 km east-southeast of Nellore.

The IMD expects the system to continue moving west-northwestwards. It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal before becoming a severe cyclonic storm on November 2.

The most concerning part of the forecast is the projected landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coastline. The IMD has warned that the severe cyclonic storm is very likely to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur by the morning of November 3. At landfall, the system could pack sustained wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, with gusts reaching 120 kmph.

Such winds can damage houses, uproot trees and disrupt electricity and communication networks. They can also create dangerous conditions for people living along the coast. The approaching system comes at a time when the Bay of Bengal is witnessing another round of intense weather activity following Cyclone Arnab.

For Andhra Pradesh, the next 48 hours will be critical. Meteorologists are tracking the storm’s intensity, movement and eventual landfall location. Satellite observations will remain crucial in monitoring the system as it moves closer to the coastline. Its final intensity and precise landfall location will determine the scale of the impact across coastal districts.