The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘qualified’ update about ‘a possibility of marginal intensification of the deep depression into a cyclone,’ to be named Fengal, after assessing the latest environmental conditions around the system.
At 5:30 am this morning, the deep depression over south-west Bay of Bengal practically stalled, having slowed its noving rthward movement down to merely 2 km/hr during the past six hours. It lay centred at about 110 km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka; 310 km south-east of Nagapattinam; 410 km south-east of Puducherry; and 480 km south-southeast of Chennai.
At this rate, it may manage to finish its sojourn off Sri Lanka coast, and leave the island mass behind during the course of the day. Thereafter, it will continue to move north-northwest and cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram around Saturday weakened as a deep depression with a wind speed of 50-60 km/hr gusting to 70 km/hr, the IMD said.