A low-pressure area that has developed over the South Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and make its way to the Andhra Pradesh-Orrisa shores early next week, the IMD said sounding alert. The system will be named ‘Cyclone Asani’, assigned by Sri Lanka and literally means ‘wrath’, once it intensifies into a cyclonic storm.

The low-pressure area over the south Andaman Sea and adjoining southeast Bay of Bay Bengal is very likely to move northwestwards, intensify into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours and further into a cyclonic storm over the east-central Bay of Bengal by May 8 evening, the national weather agency said on Saturday.

“This system is likely to move in the north-westwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining Orissa-Andhra coast on May 10, which is 200 km away from the shore,” IMD senior scientist Umashankar Das told the media.

Orissa Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena has informed the deployment of 17 NDRF, 20 teams of ODRAF and175 teams of the fire department personnel. He also added that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are also stay put to maintain a vigil on the movement of fishermen in the sea.

The weather dept has also warned of Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall over the districts of Gangetic West Bengal between Tuesday and Friday next week.