Cyclone brewing in Bay of Bengal, likely to hit shore by Sunday

New Delhi, October 19

A cyclonic storm was brewing in the Bay of Bengal which was likely to move ashore late Sunday, the weather office said on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been tracking the developing weather system over the north Andaman Sea, which was expected to concentrate into a depression by Saturday, packing wind speeds of up to 49 km, it said.

The weather system was a cyclonic circulation on Wednesday and likely to intensify into a low pressure area by Thursday over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal.

It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm over west-central Bay of Bengal by late Sunday, the weather office said.

If the tropical storm intensifies into a cyclone as predicted, it would be called Sitrang, a name suggested by Thailand.