Cyclone threat to Andhra coast weakens

, Nov 7: A fresh

threat to Andhra Pradesh blew over as the Met Office forecast on Friday that a deep depression over Bay of Bengal will weaken before crossing the coast on Sunday.

The deep depression over central Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary during the past 12 hours and lay centered about 560 km southeast of Visakhapatnam, said a bulletin by India Meteorological Department (IMD) at 8.30 a.m. on Friday.

"It would move westwards towards the Andhra Pradesh coast and weaken gradually into depression while reaching near the coast Nov 9," it said.

The Met Office has forecast moderate rainfall at many places over districts of Andhra Pradesh Saturday and Sunday.

Wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph would prevail along and off Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu coast Saturday and Sunday.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu coast on these two days.

The meteorologists on Thursday forecast that the deep depression will intensify into cyclone storm in 24 hours. With the latest forecast, people in coastal districts heaved a sigh of relief.

Severe cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' battered north Andhra coast Oct 12, killing 46 people, damaging 9,000 houses and crops spread over more than 200,000 hectares.

The cyclone with a wind speed of nearly 200 kmph uprooted thousands of trees and damaged electricity and communication networks in the districts of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram.

Officials said about 21 lakh families were hit by 'Hudhud', which left a trail of destruction in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

IANS