The deep depression over West-Central Bay of Bengal has weakened into a depression midnight last night as expected, but is paring the Andhra Pradesh coast a direct hit.

Instead, it is heading for the adjoining Odisha coast for landfall in a last manoeuvre engineered by a dominating western disturbance that has passed away to the East and and North-East and out of the country.

CHANGED DESTINATION

India Met Department (IMD) located the depression to 190 km south-east of Gopalpur and 26 km south-southwest of Paradip, indicating how the system was now eyeing the Odisha coast for a landfall.

The IMD doesn't indicate an exact time for landfall except saying that the depression would travel north and then north-east before weakening into a well-marked low-pressure area.

It remains to be see whether the depression would retain its status while crossing the Odisha later this morning, or weakens into a well-marked 'low' prior to the landfall.

The IMD has forecast rain at most places over Coastal Odisha and adjoining interior areas for the rest of the day and coastal districts of Bengal into tomorrow morning.

RAIN FOR NORTH-EAST INDIA

The east-to-north-east direction dictated by the western disturbance would ensure that rains from the landfalling storm would also lash South Assam, East Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura today and tomorrow.

Squally winds with speeds reaching up to 50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr will prevail along the North Andhra Pradesh coast for the rest of the day and along and off the Bengal coast into tomorrow.

Sea conditions would be 'rough' to 'very rough' along and off the North Andhra Pradesh coast and the Bengal coasts during the corresponding period. Accordingly, fishermen have been not to venture out of the coasts.

Meanwhile, North-West India is bracing for the arrival of a mega western disturbance from Sunday with IMD forecasting heavy snow and rainfall for Jammu & Kashmir and the rest of the hill states.

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