Several parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are bracing for heavy rain as severe cyclone Asani weakened to a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, barreling towards north coastal Andhra Pradesh, packing wind speed of 85 km per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The weather system is likely to further lose steam and turn into a depression by Thursday morning, it said.
“It is very likely to move nearly northwards for next few hour and recurve slowly north-northeastwards along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts during noon to evening on Wednesday, and emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coasts by night,” the IMD said in a bulletin.
In the wake of possible heavy rainfall, the Andhra Pradesh government sounded a high alert in all the coastal districts, while the Odisha government did the same in five southern districts — Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati.
A bulletin from Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam said the cyclonic storm lay centred about 30 km east-southeast of Machilipatnam in Krishna district, 50 km southwest of Narasapur district and 120 km of southwest of Kakinada by Wednesday afternoon.
“It is moving along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts and is likely to weaken into a deep depression by Wednesday night and further into a depression by Thursday morning,” the bulletin said.
The CWC issued a red alert, warning of heavy rains in isolated places in Krishna, East Godavari, Yanam, West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. Heavy to very heavy rains are likely to occur in a few places over Guntur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Prakasam districts, while heavy rainfall may occur in some places in Nellore and Kadapa districts in the next 24 hours, the bulletin said.
A mysterious gold-coloured chariot, suspected from Thailand or Myanmar, washed ashore at Sunnapalli village in Srikakulam district on Wednesday morning, apparently due to high tides in the sea.