Cyclone 'Lehar' likely to hit AP tomorrow

The very severe cyclonic storm 'Lehar' over southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal lay centered this morning at 700 km east-southeast of Machillipatnam and is set to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast around tomorrow afternoon.

Under the influence of the system, rainfall at many places would commence from today evening over coastal Andhra Pradesh, an official bulletin said here today.

The officials of the coastal districts have planned to evacuate about 2.50 lakh people to safer places, official sources said.

The intensity of the system would gradually increase at most places with heavy to very heavy downpour at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh tomorrow.

Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on November 29.

Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would commence along and off Andhra Pradesh coast from today evening.

It would increase in intensity with gale wind speed reaching 150-160 kmph gusting to 170 kmph along and off coastal districts of Guntur, Krishna, West and East Godavari and Vishakhapatnam and 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph over Vizianagaram and Prakasham districts at the time of landfall.

Squally winds speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph would prevail along and off remaining districts of Andhra Pradesh at the time of landfall, the bulletin said.

The state of sea along and off Andhra Pradesh coast will be rough to very rough from today evening and will become phenomenal tomorrow along and off coastal Andhra Pradesh, it added.