CHENNAI: A depression formed over southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 36 hours, the India Meteorological Department has said. When the cyclone forms, it would be called cyclone Burevi, a name given by the Maldives.
This system is likely to cross Sri Lanka before reaching Comorin area and south Kerala on December 2 bringing heavy spells across south Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep and light to moderate rainfall in coastal Tamil Nadu including Chennai starting from December 1.
The IMD forecast that the depression, formed earlier this morning about 710km east-southeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and 1120km east-southeast of Kanyakumari, is likely to intensify into deep depression. In the subsequent 24 hours, it is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm.
M Rajeevan, secretary, ministry of earth sciences under which the IMD functions, tweeted that the weather models show the cyclonic storm may not be severe like Nivar. “Another cyclonic storm over south Bay of Bengal likely to track westwards towards Sri Lanka and Comorin by December 2 and likely to affect Sri Lanka, south Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep,” he tweeted.
The system is likely to bring light to moderate rainfall in a few places over coastal Tamil Nadu including Chennai, south Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal area from December 1.
The IMD has forecast heavy rain at isolated places over Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts on December 1. The intensity of rainfall could increase in these regions on December 2 with extremely heavy rain likely at isolated places over Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram districts. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places over Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts and Karaikal area. Heavy rain is also likely to occur at isolated places over Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.