India Met Department (IMD) has issued an alert about the formation of a depression, as an untimely low-pressure area lurking to the South of Sri Lanka started engaging the attention of forecasters and disaster management experts.
Lately located over Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining South-West Bay of Bengal and South of Sri Lanka coast, the 'low' is expected to become 'well-marked,' and further develop into a depression over the next three days.
Depression likely
The depression is expected to park itself over the South-East Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep and off the Kerala coast, the IMD projected. The movement of the system and its expected bearing have an uncanny resemblance to those of devastating last year's cyclone Ockhi, which had ramped up in strength to become a very severe cyclone.
But there is no such threat this time. The 'low' might go on to intensify and travel to the West towards Maldives-Lakshadweep is what the international models indicate.
Helpful trough
There it could likely begin to lose steam, break up into smithereens headed all way round, with some tracking towards the West Coast of India (Goa-Karnataka-North Kerala).
But what could help with the intensification of the 'low' is the presence of a trough extending from the Lakshadweep to Konkan along the West Coast and a cyclonic circulation over North Madhya Maharashtra (adjacent to Konkan region).
The genesis of the 'low' can be traced back to an easterly wave that occasionally pass over the southern parts of Bay of Bengal and aiming at Sri Lanka and South Tamil Nadu. Easterly waves have in the past concentrated into low-pressure areas as in the instant case, some of which have progressed to become depressions or even cyclones.
Squally weather
An India Met Department (IMD) forecast has warned of squally winds speeding up to 60 km/hr in strength over the Comorin region off South Tamil Nadu and South Kerala coasts as well as Lakshadweep. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea over the Comorin region off South Tamil Nadu and South Kerala coasts for today.
These conditions are more or less expected to continue for the next two to three days as well. Projections by the IMD suggest a wave of thundershowers growing over the South Peninsula and adjoining Central India from tomorrow.
These would become heavier over parts of South Tamil Nadu, adjoining Kerala and progressively over the entire South Peninsula and parts of East India from March 15 to 18.