Depression over Bay of Bengal 'very likely' to move away today: IMD

NEW DELHI: A depression, currently over the southwest Bay of Bengal, is very likely to move west-southwestwards and cross the Sri Lanka coast during the afternoon of Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"Depression over Southwest BoB lay centered at 0530 IST over the same region about 160 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and 420 km southeast of Karaikal (India).

Very likely to move west-southwestwards and cross Sri Lanka coast during the afternoon of today," the department official said.

According to it, the depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-southwestwards with a speed of 7 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centered at 05:30 am today over the same region near latitude 8.2°N and longitude 82.6°E, about 110 km east-southeast of Batticaloa (Sri Lanka), 160 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and 420 km southeast of Karaikal (India).

"It is very likely to move west-southwestwards and cross Sri Lanka coast between latitude 7°N to 8°N during the afternoon of today, the 1st February 2023," it added.

IMD further forecast light and moderate rainfall at many places over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Wednesday and Thursday. "Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over south Tamil Nadu on 1st and 2nd February," it added.