Cyclonic storm Helen may bring heavy rainfall at some places in coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours, according to a bulletin issued by the India Meteorological department today.
The storm over west-central Bay of Bengal moved slightly west-northwestwards and lay centres about 460 km east-northeast of Chennai and 250 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam by 2.30 pm today.
The system is expected to further intensify in to a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and cross south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machillipatnam by Friday afternoon.
Squally winds with speed reaching 55-65 km per hour would prevail along the south Andhra Coast. The wind speed would gradually increase to 100-110 km per hour at the time of landfall, the bulletin added.
The department advised total suspension of fishing operations off the Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu coasts.
Our Bureau adds from Visakhapatnam: The second one-day international cricket match between India and West Indies, scheduled to be played here on Sunday, has been facing many threats. Now it is caught up in another storm – Cyclone Helen, which is set to cross the south Andhra coast sometime during Friday.
Widespread heavy rainfall is predicted in its wake in the south as well as north coastal districts and the rainfall started here right from Wednesday night. Cricket fans hope it will not rain too heavily during the next two or three days and the match will go on unhindered.
There are super soppers and other drainage facilities at the Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy stadium here but they may not be adequate if it rains too heavily.
Earlier, it was a storm of a different kind – a political one caused by Samaikhyandhra agitation – which threatened the match, but it has blown over.
The Minister for Infrastructure and Investment, G. Srinivasa Rao, and several others felt that it was not proper to hold the ODI here when the State was in the agitation mode over the Telangana issue and the proposed bifurcation of the State.