India Braces For Cyclonic Storm ‘Gaja’

Bhubaneswar: The depression over southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm named ‘Gaja’ at 5.30 am on Sunday and lay centred over eastcentral and adjoining westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal, about 460 km west-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 930 km east-northeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 980 km east-southeast of Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), an India Meteorological Department (IMD) release said on Sunday.

It is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and move westnorthwestwards during the  next 36 hours and then west-southwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu – south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the subsequent 48
hours. However, while moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross North Tamil Nadu–South Andhra Pradesh coasts between Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) and Sriharikota as a cyclonic storm on November 15 forenoon, the release further said.

Though it sounded no warning for Odisha, fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea as conditions will be rough over eastcentral and adjoining westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal, in the next three days.

Distance warning signal has been hoisted at all ports of Odisha.

As per Skymet Weather, there is long sea travel ahead for Gaja, along with that sea surface temperatures are also warm and low vertical wind shear. Besides this, Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is also in the favourable zone. All these factors would be responsible in providing more strength to the system.

As of now the system is quite far away from the Indian mainland to give any weather over the region. However, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are likely to record fairly widespread rainfall with some heavy spells as well.

Scattered rains will commence over Chennai and coastal Tamil Nadu around November 14. As the system nears, intensity would also rise, and we expect heavy to very heavy rains over the area on November 15.

Intensity of rains would start decreasing by November 16, but many districts of Tamil Nadu and South Interior Karnataka would continue with good rains.

Sea conditions will become rough to very rough from November 13-16 over southwest Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu and south Andhra coast, it added.