Deep depression nears Kalingapatnam landfall; red alert in five Andhra districts

A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is set to cross the north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast on Wednesday night, most likely near Kalingapatnam, the India Meteorological Department said. The system is expected to come ashore somewhere between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur in Odisha, turning slightly north as it approaches.

At 5.30 a.m. on Wednesday, the system lay about 70 km off Kalingapatnam, roughly 150 km from both Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, and was moving west at about 12 kmph.

Not a cyclone

On the IMD's scale, a deep depression carries winds of 52 to 61 kmph around the centre, while a system is classified as a cyclone and given a name only once winds reach 62 kmph. Officials at the Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam said the system had not intensified into a cyclone and would cross the coast at its present strength.

Once over land, it is expected to weaken to a depression by Thursday evening, hold that intensity through Friday and dissipate into an ordinary low-pressure area by Saturday morning. Gusts of 55 to 75 kmph are likely along the coast on Wednesday and Thursday, and fishermen have been advised to stay off the sea until Friday.

Heaviest rain in Odisha's Koraput

In the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday, the heaviest rainfall under the system was recorded in Odisha's Koraput district, where Simliguda received 230 mm and Jeypore 162 mm. In Andhra Pradesh, Palasa in Srikakulam district recorded 141 mm, the highest in the State, while Sompeta, Kalingapatnam and Tekkali in the same district each received more than 110 mm. Araku Valley in Alluri Sitharama Raju district logged 100 mm and Visakhapatnam city 90 mm.

Of Andhra Pradesh's 2,218 automatic rain gauges, 173 recorded heavy rain of 64.5 mm or more during the period, all in the northern part of the State. Srikakulam's 70 stations averaged 76 mm, with 42 of them registering heavy rain, while Visakhapatnam's 104 stations averaged 69 mm.

Between 8.30 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, the highest reading in the State was 34 mm at Vajrapukotturu in Srikakulam district, as showers moved down the coast to Krishna, Eluru and West Godavari districts, where several places received 20 to 27 mm.

Alerts and impact

A red alert is in force until Thursday morning for Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli districts, where heavy to very heavy rain is likely in places along with winds of 50 to 60 kmph. An orange alert is in place for Visakhapatnam. The alert level drops to orange across the region on Thursday and to yellow from Friday. District officials along the northern coast have been asked to remain on alert until the system crosses.

The overnight rain left tanks and streams overflowing around Palasa and other parts of Srikakulam district, with low-lying roads waterlogged. In Visakhapatnam, trees fell at MVP Colony late on Tuesday night and near Dr. L. Bullayya College on Wednesday morning, and municipal crews cleared them to reopen the roads. A boundary wall at the site of Google's data centre at Mudasarlova also collapsed. No injuries were reported.

Deputy CM directs rural staff

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who holds the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development portfolio, directed his department's officials to stay fully vigilant, noting that north Andhra would be the worst affected. He asked them to prepare for damaged culverts, breached rural roads and fallen trees, and to repair damaged roads on a war footing.

Where flooding is severe, officials were told to help run relief camps, move people to safety and ensure the camps have food, clean drinking water and medicines. He also sought fodder and water for livestock and coordination among the Revenue, Police, Electricity, Medical and Health, and Animal Husbandry departments to prevent disruption to power supply.