Heavy rain likely in coastal TN, Puducherry

Team Udayavani, Nov 19, 2018, 4:22 PM IST

Chennai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Monday said a low pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal could intensify into a depression in the next 24 hours and bring heavy rainfall in the region.

The Regional Weather Office, meanwhile, advised fishermen against venturing into the sea in the southwest Bay of Bengal area on November 20 and 21.

The low pressure area on Sunday has moved westwards and lay as a well-marked low pressure area over central parts of south Bay of Bengal on Monday, a bulletin from IMD said.

“It is likely to move westwards and intensify into a depression over southwest Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours,” the bulletin said.

As a result, heavy rainfall is likely in most places over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with heavy rain at a few places with isolated very heavy rainfall on November 20, it said.

Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, south Rayalaseema, south interior Karnataka and isolated heavy falls over Kerala has been forecast.

Deputy Director General of Meteorology S Balachandran told reporters here that fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea in southwest Bay of Bengal and along the Tamil Nadu coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Several districts suffered damage as cyclone Gaja crossed the Tamil Nadu coast last Friday between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranyam. It left behind a trail of destruction, uprooting 1.7 lakh trees and damaging 88,102 hectares of agricultural land and also claimed 45 lives.

The cyclone had caused severe damage in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal in neighbouring Puducherry.