Cyclone Asani to hit Andamans in 3 days: likely to cause very heavy rains, flooding in these states, IMD says. 10 pts
Premium- Once the low pressure intensifies into a cyclone, it will be named Asani, a name suggested by Sri Lanka, IMD said
Issuing an alert for the year's first cyclonic storm Asani, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a low-pressure area has formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by 21 March. In its bulletin, the weather agency said, the low-pressure area, which was formed over southeast Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, will move east-northeastwards till March 19 morning and then move northwards along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands till March 20. It is likely to bring very heavy rainfall for the next couple of days.
Here is all that you need to know about cyclone Asani:
The weather system is expected to turn into a cyclonic storm on Monday, IMD said. "Thereafter, it is likely to move nearly north-northeastwards and reach near Bangladesh-north Myanmar coasts around the morning of March 22."
Once the system intensifies into a cyclone, it will be named Asani, a name suggested by Sri Lanka, the weather agency also said.
The cyclone is expected to cause localised flooding of roads, inundation and water logging in low-lying areas in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands MP Kuldeep Rai has urged Lieutenant Governor Admiral (Retd.) D K Joshi to put the disaster management machinery on high alert.
He also urged Joshi to declare a holiday on March 19 and 21 in all schools and colleges. March 20 being Sunday is also a holiday.
If the forecast materialises, tropical cyclone Asani will become the first-ever tropical cyclone to hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands in March. Not a single tropical cyclone has hit the region in March in at least 132 years, an eminent meteorologist said.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, only eight cylcones -- two in the Arabian Sea and six in the Bay of Bengal -- have developed in the month of March between 1891 and 2022.
Of the eight weather systems, six dissipated over sea, one crossed the Tamil Nadu coast as a cyclonic storm in 1926 and another in Sri Lanka in 1907.
Since the sea is expected to remain rough for the next couple of days, fishermen have been advised not to venture into central parts of southeast Bay of Bengal from Thursday to Monday, the Andaman Sea and along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands between Friday and Wednesday.
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