Depression Forms Over Bay Of Bengal; Likely To Intensify Into Cyclone Michaung By Dec 3, Landfall On Dec 4

Bhubaneswar: The well-marked low-pressure area intensified into a depression over southeast adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on Friday morning.

“Yesterday’s well-marked low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards during past 12 hours, concentrated into a depression and lay centered at 5.30 am over southeast adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 790 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 800 km southeast of Chennai, 990 km southeast of Bapatla and 970 km southeast of Machilipatnam,” the India Meteorological Department informed.

It is likely to continue to move west-northwestwards, intensify into a deep depression by December 2 and further into a cyclonic storm over Southwest Bay of Bengal around December 3. Thereafter, it would move northwestwards and cross South Andhra Pradesh and adjoining North Tamil Nadu coast between Chennai and Machilipatnam around evening of December 4 as a cyclonic storm, it added.

If the system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called Michaung, a name suggested by Myanmar. It will be the sixth such event forming in the Indian Ocean this year, compared to the customary four cyclones that occur in most years, and the fourth in the Bay of Bengal.

The system is unlikely to have any impact on Odisha.