India braces for twin cyclones: Hamoon may hit Andhra on October 25, Tej intensifies

Hamoon is expected to weaken as it nears the Bangladesh coast.

As Cyclone Tej continues to brew into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ in the Arabian Sea, cyclone Hamoon is in a premature stage in the Bay of Bengal.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hamoon is moving close to the Andhra Coast and it is likely to intensify further into a depression over the West Central Bay of Bengal. The depression over the Bay of Bengal may become a low-intensity cyclonic storm by October 24.  However, these twin cyclones spanning over 2,500 km will maintain a significant distance from each other. As a result, they are expected to follow separate tracks.

The IMD categorises a system as cyclonic when its three-minute average maximum sustained wind speeds fall between 63-88 kmph. a severe cyclonic storm has winds between 89-117 kmph, a very severe cyclonic storm between 118-165 kmph and an extremely severe cyclonic storm between 166-220 kmph, as per the weather agency.

Named Hamoon by Iran, the cyclone is currently in its premature stage. It is now in the west-central Bay of Bengal after moving northeastwards on October 22 night. According to the weather agency, due to Hamoon light to moderate rainfall is expected at a few places in coastal Odisha on October 23 and at many places on October 24-25. Hamoon is expected to weaken as it nears the Bangladesh coast. It is set to cross at a location between Khepupara and Chittagong on October 25.

Named by India, Tej is now in the west-central Bay of Bengal after moving northeast awards on October 22 night.  “It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross the Bangladesh coast between Khepupara and Chittagong around October 25 evening as a deep depression,” stated the IMD bulletin.

Light to moderate rainfall is expected at a few places in northern and southern coastal districts, besides Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal. "The system (cyclone) will move in the sea around 200 km from the Odisha coast. Under its influence, light to moderate rainfall is likely at a few places in coastal Odisha on October 23 and at many places over the next two days,” weather scientist US Dash told Livemint. Tej can make landfall near the Oman or Yemen border on October 24.