Cyclone Asani to hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands, heavy rainfall expected today
According to the IMD, on March 20, the Andaman Islands will get light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers in most locations, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in a few spots and isolated extremely heavy rainfall, while the Nicobar Islands will see isolated heavy rainfall.
FollowThe government of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is making preparations as Cyclone Asani approaches the islands. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) previously stated that a well-defined low pressure region remains over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the surrounding south Andaman Sea. It is expected to travel approximately northward along and off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, becoming a depression by the morning of March 20 and a cyclonic storm on March 21.
According to the IMD, on March 20, the Andaman Islands will get light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers in most locations, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in a few spots and isolated extremely heavy rainfall, while the Nicobar Islands will see isolated heavy rainfall.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has swung into action and is taking precautions as Cyclone Asani approaches the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Weather warnings were relayed to all mariners and fishermen at sea by ICG ships and aircraft in the southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining south Andaman Sea.
All fishermen have also been advised not to venture into the Andaman Sea or the adjacent south-east Bay of Bengal. Meanwhile, tourism activities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been halted from March 19 to March 22, in response to an IMD cyclonic weather warning.
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The MET prediction indicates that Tamil Nadu would be spared the worst of the cyclone's effects. However, due to the delayed arrival of easterly breezes, the state is anticipated to have hotter days and humid nights. The cyclone is also anticipated to avoid West Bengal. However, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata has cautioned the state's fishermen not to travel into the deep oceans during this time.
During a review meeting on Friday, Chief Secretary Jitendra Narain assessed the government's readiness and requested stakeholders to set up temporary camps with provisions for food, water, and basic facilities for evacuees, the islands' administration said in a statement.
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