The depression over the Bay of Bengal is very likely to intensify into a deep depression over the next 12 hours and then further intensify into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours, stated, Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai. In its 3pm bulletin on Monday, the Met Department forecast isolated rain and thundershowers in south Tamil Nadu and isolated rain in the north of the state.
“The depression lay centered at 1130 hrs IST of today over the same region near Lat. 7.8° N/Long. 87.4°E, about 680 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).Very likely to intensify further into a DD (deep depression) during next 12 hours and into a CS (cyclonic storm) during subsequent 24 hrs,” read a tweet by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclonic storm is likely to cross Sri Lanka during the evening/night of December 2. “It is very likely to move nearly westwards thereafter and emerge into Comorin area on December 3 morning,” stated the bulletin.
The system will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls very likely over south Tamil Nadu (Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga) on December 2-3, stated IMD. North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places during December 2-3 and isolated heavy rainfall on December 1 and 4. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into southeast Bay of Bengal.
In the past 24 hours, parts of Vellore, Thiruvallur, Madurai, Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram districts received rainfall.
The latest system comes days after Cyclone Nivar, categorised as a very severe cyclonic storm, made landfall near Markkanam in Villupuram district. Cyclone Nivar brought heavy rains and winds, uprooting many trees and electric poles besides flooding many neighbourhoods. Four people died due to rain-related accidents during the cyclone.