The severe cyclonic storm Phethai is likely to weaken slightly before landfall due to unfavourable environmental conditions and cross the coast as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 70-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph. Late on Sunday night, Phethai lay centred 260 km east-northeast of Chennai and 280 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It is very likely to cross Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada on Monday afternoon.
The cyclone is being tracked by DWR Chennai and Machilipatnam apart from Satellite and other observations.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at a few places in Andhra including areas of east and west Godavari, Vishakhapatnam, Krishna, Guntur, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts and Yanam district of Puducherry. Rainfall is also expected in parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, South Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
Squally wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph along and off South Andhra Pradesh, north Tamilnadu & Puducherry coasts is likely to increase gradually becoming gale wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph.
Storm surge of height of about 0.5 m to 1.0 m above the astronomical tides are likely to inundate the low lying areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh (East & west Godavari, Vishakhapatnam, Krishna and Guntur Districts) and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall.
Authorities have been advised to suspend fishing operations along and off Andhra Pradesh coast on Monday. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into southwest and westcentral Bay of Bengal and along and off Andhra Pradesh, north Tamilnadu and Puducherry coasts till Monday.
