New Delhi:Cyclone Fani, which has been strengthening in the southwest Bay of Bengal, is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and into a very severe cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours.
Fani is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 and thereafter recurve towards northeast gradually.
Cyclonic Storm 'FANI' lay centered at 05:30 hrs over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, about 745 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 1050 km southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 1230 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), a bulletin by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Gale wind speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph is prevailing over south-east Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas.
"It is very likely to become 90-100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph from the evening of April 28 over the same area, 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph over the south-west Bay of Bengal from morning of April 30, and 155-165 kmph gusting to 175 kmph over southwest and adjoining the west-central Bay of Bengal off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts from the evening of May 1," the IMD said.
The wind speed is likely to decrease gradually thereafter with gale wind speed reaching 130-140 kmph gusting to 150 kmph over the west-central Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh Coast on May 3.
"Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rains at isolated places are very likely over Kerala on April 29 and 30. light to moderate rainfall is expected at few places over north coastal Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh on April 29 and 30," the IMD said.