Cyclone Asani to intensify into severe cyclonic storm in next few hours

The IMD on Sunday evening warned that cyclone Asani is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the next 6 hours.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday evening said that Cyclone Asani is likely to intensify into a 'severe cyclonic storm’ over the southeast Bay of Bengal in the next 6 hours.

In a bulletin, the weather department warned that the cyclone Asani is likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a 'severe cyclonic storm' during the next 6 hours.

The weather department bulletin said, "The cyclonic storm ‘Asani’ over Southeast Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 14 kmph during the past 6 hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centered at 1730 hours IST of today, the 08th May, over Southeast and adjoining East Central Bay of Bengal, near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 88.2°E, about 610 km northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands), 500 km west of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 810 km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 880 km south-southeast of Puri (Odisha)."

cyclonic storm ‘Asani’ intensified into a severe cyclonic storm at 1730 hours IST of today, the 8th May,over Southeast BoB, about 610 km northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands).To move NW till 10th May night & reach Westcentral NW BoB off North Andhra Pradesh & Odisha coast pic.twitter.com/UZK31fLcxJ

Asani is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Sunday evening while it remains over the Bay of Bengal, at about 920 km from Puri. Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said on Sunday that the system will be closest to the coast in between Ganjam and Puri in the form of a cyclonic storm on May 11.

ALSO READ | Cyclone Asani likely to intensify into severe cyclonic storm; alert sounded in Andhra, Odisha, Bengal