Met predicts another cyclone; Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh coast to get heavy rains

CHENNAI: Weathermen on Thursday forecast that a cyclonic storm may form over the Bay of Bengal in the next 36 hours and move towards Andhra Pradesh-north Tamil Nadu coast in next three days bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region during the weekend.

A well-marked low pressure has intensified into a depression and is lying about 1,170km southeast of Chennai and 1,350 south-southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

"It is likely to intensify into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 12 hours," the IMD said.

The weather system is expected to bring heavy to very heavy over isolated places of north coastal Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, and Puducherry during the weekend.

The weather system is crucial for Chennai as the city has not seen any significant rainfall since the late onset of monsoon on November 1.

Cyclone Gaja, which was earlier expected to make a landfall close to Chennai last month, shifted course and moved south hitting near Vedaranyam.

For the next 48 hours, sky condition in Chennai is likely to be generally cloudy. Temperatures may hover around a maximum of 31 and a minimum of 23 degree Celsius, respectively.