India Meteorological Department (IMD) has located the cyclonic storm 'Pabuk' over the South China Sea. It was seen about 1,500 km east-southeast of Port Blair, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, across the international waters.
'Pabuk' is expected move west-northwestwards and emerge into the Andaman Sea by Saturday morning, move north-west to cross the Andaman Islands around by Sunday night.
Three landfalls
It is forecast to move north-northwestwards but re-curve later to the north-east (away from the Indian coast) wards towards Myanmar and weaken on Monday or Tuesday.
The Met departments of two other countries, Thailand and Myanmar, closely watching the movement of the cyclone seemed to agree with the track and progression of the cyclone.
It is currently located over South China Sea that falls under the jurisdiction of the Thai Met Department, according to Phuwieng Prakhammintara, Director-General.
Cyclone 'Pabuk' was located at 10.30 am this morning over the lower Gulf of Thailand, 125 kilometre (km) south-east of Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
The system featured maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometre/hour (km/hr) and was moving west-northwest at a speed of 25 km/hr and make make the first landfall between Pak Phanang and Tha Sala districts.
From here, the cyclone will proceed to enter the Indian territorial waters to make a landfall over the Andaman Islands.From there, it will proceed to the Myanmar coast for a third landfall.
Rains for Andamans
According to the Myanmar Met, the weather is partly cloudy to cloudy over the Andaman Sea and South Bay and generally fair elsewhere in the Bay of Bengal.
The cyclone is forecast to move west-northwestwards, cross near Nakhon Si thammarat( Thailand) to the South of Kawthaung (Myanmar) by this evening and call in at the Andaman Sea.
The IMD has said that rains will commence at many places over the Andaman Islands from tomorrow evening with heavy falls at isolated places.
Rain intensity will increase with rainfall at most places and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places on Sunday and at isolated places on Monday.
Squally winds with speed reaching 40-50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr might increase 55-65 km/hr gusting to 75 km/hr over Andaman Sea tomorrow and over the island for next two days.