North Tamil Nadu, south Andhra coasts to be hit by Cyclonic storm Gaja: IMD

The cyclonic storm Gaja coursing over the Bay of Bengal is likely to become severe in the next 24 hours and hit the coast along northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh by late Monday, the weatherman has warned.

“The deep depression over southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph in the past six hours and intensified into a cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ and lay centred over east-central and adjoining west-central and southeast Bay of Bengal,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

The cyclonic storm is likely to intensify into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ in the next 24 hrs and move west-northwestwards during next 36 hrs and west-southwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh in the subsequent 48 hours, the department said.

Tamil Nadu fisheries department has urged the fishermen to avoid fishing in the south-east of the Bay of Bengal on Monday due to the prediction, according to news agency ANI.

Fishermen in Andhra Pradesh have also been warned against venturing into the sea for the next 24 hours as the conditions are expected to deteriorate and get rough along and off south-Andhra Pradesh coast from Tuesday evening, it reported.

Fishermen who are in the deep sea have been advised to return to coast before November 12.