Chennai, Nov 14: A developing low-pressure system over the southeast Bay of Bengal could intensify into a cyclonic storm over the coming days, prompting a fishing advisory across several parts of the Bay until November 17 and raising the likelihood of rainfall across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The system formed on Friday under the influence of an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the central Andaman Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to the weather department, it is expected to move initially towards the northwest before strengthening over the weekend.
The system is subsequently likely to shift north-northwestwards towards the central Bay of Bengal, where atmospheric conditions could support its intensification into a cyclonic storm.
A trough associated with the circulation also extends towards the northern Maldives through the adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean, contributing to the weather conditions expected to influence parts of southern India.
The weather department has forecast isolated rainfall across several districts of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. The Western Ghats districts of the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruppur and Tenkasi are likely to receive showers.
Isolated rainfall is also expected in Virudhunagar, Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli districts, while northern coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry could experience scattered showers.
The rainfall activity is likely to continue on Sunday and Monday, with light to moderate showers forecast at isolated places across the Western Ghats, southern Tamil Nadu and northern coastal districts.
In Chennai, partly cloudy skies are expected on Saturday, with light rainfall possible in some areas. Further showers could affect the city and other parts of northern Tamil Nadu as the weather system develops and moves across the Bay of Bengal.
Meanwhile, the fishing advisory covers the southwest, southeast, southern and central Bay of Bengal. Fishermen have been asked not to venture into these waters until November 17 because of the possibility of rough sea conditions associated with the developing system.
The advisory comes as the system moves towards the central Bay, with conditions at sea expected to remain unfavourable for fishing across the specified areas.
Meanwhile, Mambazhathuraiyar in Kanniyakumari district recorded six centimetres of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, the highest rainfall reported in Tamil Nadu during that period.
The system’s development and movement over the Bay of Bengal will determine the distribution of rainfall across the affected regions over the next few days.
