The weather system brewing over the Bay of Bengal has escalated significantly, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting that the depression has intensified into a deep depression.
Moving southwestwards at a steady speed of 5 kmph, the system is on a steady trajectory to morph into a full-scale cyclonic storm by the morning of October 26.
According to the latest IMD observations recorded at 11:30 am on Sunday, the deep depression was located approximately 870 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 1,130 km east of Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh.
Escalating Threat and Projected Path
Meteorologists indicate that the system is expected to begin a crucial recurve toward the west-northwest later today, October 25. As it feeds on warm sea surface temperatures in the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, its intensity will rapidly scale up.
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October 26: Expected to mature into a Cyclonic Storm.
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October 27: Forecasted to escalate further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal.
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October 28: Projected to peak into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm as it nears the coast.
The IMD’s current track models suggest that the powerful weather system will cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts—specifically sandwiched between the key regions of Bapatla and Visakhapatnam—by the forenoon of October 28.
Severe Weather and Wind Warnings
Authorities have warned that upon landfall, the system could pack maximum sustained wind speeds ranging from 115 to 125 kmph, with violent gusts touching up to 140 kmph. Such velocities pose severe risks of structural damage to thatched and kutcha houses, widespread uprooting of large trees, snapping of power and communication lines, and major disruptions to transport and agriculture.
Because atmospheric conditions and marine dynamics can cause shifts in a storm’s path and intensity, residents across vulnerable coastal belts are strongly advised to stay tuned to official IMD bulletins. Local disaster response machinery has been put on high alert, and fishermen have been strictly prohibited from venturing into the rough waters of the central and west-central Bay of Bengal over the coming days.
