Cyclone Phethai weakens after landfall near Kakinada
Heavy and widespread rain continue to lash north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh
Delhi: Severe cyclone Phethai weakened into a cyclonic storm as it made landfall near Kakinada along Andhra Pradesh coast, here on Monday.
The unfavorable environment conditions weakened the cyclonic storm just before landfall near Kakinada on the Andhra Pradesh coast between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. It crossed the coast 40 km south of Kakinada as a cyclonic storm with a wind of 70-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph.
Heavy and widespread rain continue to lash north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh -- East and West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Krishna, Guntur, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam -- and Yanam district of Puducherry as squally winds reaching 55-65 kmph, gusting to 75 kmph, prevailed along and off Andhra Pradesh.
According to the latest update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Phethai over west-central Bay of Bengal is moving further northwards with a speed of 24 kmph and will emerge into west-central Bay of Bengal off the Kakinada coast in the next few hours.
“It will continue to move north-eastwards and again cross the Andhra Pradesh coast close to Tuni during late evening as a deep depression," according to the IMD.
The Doppler weather radars at Chennai, Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam continue to monitor the intensity and track the cyclone as it moves northwards. A red warning calling for immediate action had already been sounded for Andhra Pradesh and Yanam along the Puducherry coast.
Winds are very likely to increase up to 100 kmph along and off the central Andhra Pradesh coast as the cyclonic storm weakens into a deep depression and turns into into a depression by the early hours on Tuesday. Sea conditions remain very rough, and fishing operations have been suspended.
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