Bhubaneswar: A very severe cyclonic storm is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115–125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.
The weather system over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression by 5.30 pm on October 24, 2026, and is expected to strengthen further over the next few days.
According to the IMD bulletin, the depression was centred near latitude 15.8°N and longitude 90.7°E, about 820 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 910 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 1,020 km east of Machilipatnam and 1,100 km east of Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh. It was also located around 510 km north-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman Islands.
The system is very likely to move nearly southwards initially and intensify into a deep depression before gradually recurving west-northwestwards over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on October 25.
Moving further west-northwestwards, it is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 26, and into a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal around the morning of October 27.
The system is subsequently expected to move northwestwards and intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm before reaching the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of October 28.
The IMD has issued a pre-cyclone watch for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts under its Yellow Message, signalling the need for heightened preparedness as the system develops and its movement becomes clearer.
