Andhra Pradesh on alert, Cyclone Michaung’ to make landfall around noon

Cyclonic storm Michaung is set to make landfall near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh on December 5 at noon, becoming the first to cross the coast in two years after Cyclone Gulab in September 2021. Michaung’s wind speed is anticipated to reach severe cyclonic levels, with a maximum sustained speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. The weather system is expected to persist until December 7 and thereafter become a deep depression.

Yesterday, an orange alert was sounded by the IMD for Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts as cyclone Michaung approached the South Andhra coast. Several areas of Chennai and its neighbouring districts were inundated due to relentless rains, and transport and air carrier services took a severe hit.

The system over West central Bay of Bengal, off the south Andhra Pradesh coast and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts moved north-northwestwards with a speed of seven kmph during past six hours. It lay centered around 20 km north-northeast of Nellore, 170 km north of Chennai, 150 km south of Bapatla and 210 km south-southwest of Machilipatilam at 2:30 AM today.