Just days after being hit by Cyclone Helen,
Andhra Pradesh is bracing itself to face another cyclone, Lehar, which
would cross the coast on November 28, the Met office said on Sunday.
"Cyclonic storm Lehar will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on November 28," the Indian Meterological Department (IMD) said. Under its influence, rain or thundershowers would occur at many places over Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and coastal and south interior Karnataka, IMD said in its weather outlook for four days from November 27 to December 1.
At least six people were killed and crops in 1.69 lakh hectares of land damaged under the impact of Helen earlier this week. Damage caused by last month's Phailin storm in Andhra Pradesh is still being assessed.
"Cyclonic storm Lehar will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on November 28," the Indian Meterological Department (IMD) said. Under its influence, rain or thundershowers would occur at many places over Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and coastal and south interior Karnataka, IMD said in its weather outlook for four days from November 27 to December 1.
At least six people were killed and crops in 1.69 lakh hectares of land damaged under the impact of Helen earlier this week. Damage caused by last month's Phailin storm in Andhra Pradesh is still being assessed.
Cyclone Lehar in the Andaman Sea and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal
has underwent the first of a series of stepped-up strengthening cycles.
According to US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, Lehar packs howling winds
clocking more than 100 km/hr with gusts of up to 130 km/hr.
An India Met Department update early this morning said the system
crossed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands just after midnight last night.
Dense storm
Joint Typhoon Warning Centre of the US Navy located the system to 1,230
km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam after it slowed down a bit lateral
speed over waters.
It said Lehar represented a dense structure and a dangerous system in
the making with intensification into a very severe cyclone expected
anytime today.
The storm may just be developing an ‘eye’ feature in the centre, which is indicative of a stage just ahead of strengthening.
Odd forecast
According to the US agency, the storm will track west-northwest, which
is the normal track for the movement for a cyclone system in the
northern hemisphere.
But an odd projection by the UK Met Office suggests that Lehar might
deviate from this path and aim at Odisha/West Bengal coast after
sometime.
Consensus projections by other models maintain that the storm will
intensify into peak intensity of 185 km/hr by Thursday ahead of a
landfall over Andhra Pradesh coast.
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