Bhubaneswar/Visakhapatnam: A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 26, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast. It is then expected to move west-northwestwards and near the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts around October 28.
The IMD said the low-pressure area formed over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Friday morning. It is likely to become a depression on October 24, a deep depression on October 25 and a cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 26.
If it becomes a cyclone, it will be named Arnab, a name suggested by Bangladesh which means "ocean" in Bengali. IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the storm is likely to reach near the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts by the morning of October 28.
According to the IMD, extremely heavy to heavy rainfall is likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh on October 27 and 28 and over Odisha on October 28. A red alert has been issued for Odisha's Puri, Ganjam and Gajapati districts for October 27. Heavy rain is also likely over Kolkata and coastal south Bengal from October 28.
The Odisha government has cancelled the leave of all its officials. "There is no need to panic, the state administration is prepared," Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said. Fishermen have been advised to return to the coast by October 24 and not to venture into the sea during a specified period.