Amaravati: The severe cyclonic storm Asani over west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of seven kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 0230 hours IST on Tuesday over west-central and adjoining the southwest Bay of Bengal near latitude 14.7°N and longitude 84.2°E, 330 km southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 350 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 510 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 590 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha).
It is very likely to move nearly northwestwards till Tuesday night and reach Westcentral Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coast and adjoining Odisha coast. Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeast wards and move towards Northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. It is likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours.
East Godavari, Konaseema, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts will receive moderate to heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the cyclone. Winds will blow 40 km to 60 km per hour. In the Anandapuram and Achuthapuram mandals of Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle districts, several power poles fell due to strong winds and APEPDCL SE Mahendranath said that steps have been taken to restore power.
Flights from Kurnool, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam have been delayed for a long time due to inclement weather. Indigo flights from Mumbai, Chennai, Vijayawada and Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam were cancelled overnight. The ‘Asani’ effect on the Uppada coast of the Kakinada district was severe. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic was halted due to seawater intrusion onto the beach road from Uppada to Kakinada.
Read: Cyclone Asani rages in Bay of Bengal, unlikely to make landfall
