Due to a depression over the north Andaman Sea, which is expected to intensify into a cyclone, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted rains in parts of Karnataka over the next week. South western Karnataka is expected to see rains till Thursday, March 24, the IMD said.
A high alert has been sounded in the coastal and Malnad districts of the state, and the depression in Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea is also predicted to cause rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning. From Monday, March 21 to Thursday, March 24, the IMD has issued a yellow alert in seven districts — Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi, Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada and Haasan.
Rain is also expected in the northern districts of Gadag, Haveri, Dharwad, Belagavi and Raichur on Thursday and Friday, while showers are also expected in Bengaluru. On Friday, an orange warning has been issued for Dakshina Kannada. Parts of Bengaluru and Mysuru also witnessed rain on Sunday, March 20. The depression over the north Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclone by the evening of Monday, March 21, the IMD said. The depression intensified into a deep depression, moving north-northeastwards at a speed of 12 km per hour, it said. "It is likely to move nearly northwards along and off Andaman Islands towards the Myanmar coast during the next 48 hours," the IMD said in a bulletin.
People living in low-lying and flood-prone areas in the archipelago have been evacuated and housed in temporary relief camps in North and Middle Andaman and South Andaman districts, officials said. Inter-island ferry services as well as shipping services with Chennai and Visakhapatnam have been stopped, and all educational institutions closed in the wake of the inclement weather, they said.
Around 150 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed and six relief camps opened in various parts of the islands, the officials said. Long Island has received 131 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Monday, while 26.1 mm rainfall was recorded in Port Blair, they said. Control Rooms have also been opened in all the three districts of the union territory.
Light to moderate rainfall/thundershower at most places with heavy/very heavy rainfall at isolated places during next 12 hrs over north Andaman Islands and heavy rainfall at isolated places over South Andaman Islands.
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) March 21, 2022
The sea condition is likely to be very rough and the weather office has advised suspension of all tourism and fishing activities for the next two days. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the southeast Bay of Bengal on Monday, and into the Andaman Sea on Monday and Tuesday.