A pre-monsoon tropical cyclone Fani is brewing in the Bay of Bengal and is likely to come closer to the Indian shore off the north Tamil Nadu by Tuesday, April 30. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 30 and May 1. It has also issued a yellow alert warning for rainfall at isolated heavy rain spells across coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
However, senior scientist and head of services at IMD, M Mohapatra, said that as of Thursday it was not clear if the cyclone will make landfall in Tamil Nadu.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that currently, a clear, well-marked low-pressure area has developed over the East Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining the southeast Bay of Bengal. This system will soon intensify into a depression on Friday and later, by Saturday it is expected to turn into a cyclonic storm.
Satellite images showed a big band of clouds south and southeast of Sri Lanka on Thursday. Private weather forecaster Skymet too said that the weather system is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by April 28. Gradually, it will come in close proximity of North Tamil Nadu coast in the Southwest Bay of Bengal. "Weather models are then showing the tendency of the system to move more of north-northwestwards and re-curve thereafter," it added.
Pre-monsoon tropical storms are not atypical in the Bay of Bengal. Their frequency is lesser compared to those that develop in the post-monsoon season. "Intense heating over the ocean usually is one of the biggest factors. On an average, we see five storms in the Bay of Bengal in a year and most of them usually develop between October and November," said M Mohapatra, head of services, IMD.
Raging Storm
- Wind speed would increase from Friday onward and wind speeds reaching up to 45-55 kmph and gusting to 65kmph are expected in the sea
- By April 29 and April 30, wind will be gusting at a speed of 90-115kmph off Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu coast
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