Amaravati, May 5: Andhra Pradesh is gearing up to face Cyclone Amphan which is slowly drifting towards the coast of the southern state. Earlier this week, a low-pressure area was formed over the South Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal which, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, would continue for up to 72 hours. The weather agency had also warned of a possible cyclone named 'Amphan'. In its weather bulletin, the IMD predicted that thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with gusty winds are likely to occur at isolated places in Andhra Pradesh. If the low pressure in the Andaman Sea intensifies, neighbouring states of Odisha and Telangana are likely to be affected by the cyclone. 'Amphan' Cyclone Warning Issued Amid Low Pressure Formation Over Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal; Rainfall Predicted From May 3-6.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, has urged all officials to stay alert and monitor the situation of the cyclonic storm round-the-clock. The Chief Minister has also advised the departments of electricity, revenue, civic affairs to stay vigilant and be prepared to deal with any eventuality. In the wake of the current weather condition, all fishermen have been advised to strictly enforce suspension of fishing activity in coastal areas of the state.

Initially, it was reported that the cyclone might hit the coast of Myanmar, but it has changed its course of direction. According to several predictions, the cyclone will make a landfall somewhere around May 9. The system is currently moving slowly. If the same conditions persist, the cyclone will hit Andhra Pradesh in the coming days. The low-pressure system is believed to reach the next stages like depression, deep depression and then cyclone.

'Amphan' is the name proposed by Thailand as part of a previous list of names suggested by eight countries. Amphan is the last name in the previous list of cyclone names that were proposed by different countries. In April, the IMD issued a list of 169 cyclone names from 13 member countries. The list comprises names of 13 cyclones each from each member countries, totalling to 169. The names for India include Arnab, Gati, Tej, Murasu, Aag, Boom, Vyom, Jhar, Probaho, Neer, Prabhanjan, Ghurni, Ambud, Jaladhi and Vega.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2020 04:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).