India Meteorological Department has withdrawn the outlook for intensification of the depression lying over the North Andaman Sea about 540 km East-North-East of Port Blair (Andaman Islands) and 440 km South-South-East of Yangon (Myanmar) as a deep depression (next only in strength to a cyclone).

Instead, it may continue to move to the North-North-East towards the Myanmar coast and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area while sustaining light to moderate rainfall at few places (up to 6 cm) over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands until Sunday, the IMD said.

Fishermen warning stays

Squally winds speed reaching speeds of 40-50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr are forecast over the North Andaman Sea into Saturday night. The sea condition will remain ‘rough to very rough’ (wave heights of 8-20 ft) over the North Andaman Sea. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea during the period.

Strong winds (speed reaching 40-50 km/hr) are forecast over the Comorin area, the Gulf of Mannar and along ad off Tamil Nadu-South Andhra Pradesh coasts on Saturday in action apparently being touched off by the depression lying farther to the South-East over the North Andaman Sea and neighbourhood.

‘Rebound’ of activity likely

Both the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the IMD hint at the possibility of a ‘rebound’ of the activity from the hilly terrain of Myanmar leading to dome re-convergence over the Bay waters with the core moving gradually to the South-West towards the Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu coasts.

Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands during until Sunday morning and isolated light to moderate rainfall thereafter for subsequent 3-4 days.

A trough in westerlies runs from Central Bay of Bengal to the Head Bay and will cause scattered to fairly widespread rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh and isolated to scattered rainfall over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura with isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds during the next two days.

Trough may ‘light up’ East Coast

Another trough runs down from Odisha to North Interior Karnataka with an embedded cyclonic circulation over South Odisha. This is expected to ‘light up’ parts of the East Coast and interior parts of East-Central and Peninsular India with pre-monsoonal thunderstorms, lightning and wind gusts.

As for today (Saturday), thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (speeds reaching 40-50 km/hr) are likely over Odisha; with lightning and gusty winds (30-40 km/hr) over Gangetic West Bengal; and with lightning over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Kerala and Mahe.

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