A new depression has formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and is expected to strengthen, with the system potentially becoming a cyclone before moving towards the north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts, according to the Chennai Meteorological Centre. A private weather analyst has separately said the system could move towards Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district, although that track remains a possibility rather than an official forecast.
Chennai Meteorological Centre director V.R. Durai said the system developed from an atmospheric circulation that had been present over the central Andaman Sea and adjoining areas. The circulation became a low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal and is expected to move north-westwards.
According to Durai, the system could intensify into a deep depression and may strengthen further into a cyclone after that. He said the system was likely to move towards northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The direction of movement is linked to the location where the weather system develops, with systems forming over the southern or south-western Bay of Bengal more likely to move towards Tamil Nadu, he said.
Private weather analyst Selvakumar said the depression was located about 1,200 km from Chennai. He said the system could initially move about 200 km westwards from its formation area before turning north-westwards and potentially developing into a cyclone. Selvakumar said the system could move towards Tiruvallur district.
The report said the cyclone could be named ‘Akvan’, a name understood to have been proposed by Iran. The name’s use remains conditional in the report and depends on the system reaching the required intensity for cyclone classification. The official account supplied in the report confirms the formation and expected strengthening of the weather system, but does not confirm the proposed name or a Tiruvallur landfall.
The system has formed during a period when sea-surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal remain high. Durai said this was contributing to the repeated development of low-pressure areas. He also said such systems could continue to form until the north-east monsoon season ends.
For Tamil Nadu, the meteorological centre forecast light rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in the districts adjoining the Western Ghats, the northern coastal districts and Puducherry. The forecast covers immediate weather conditions and does not establish that the developing system will make landfall in Tamil Nadu.
The next key milestone is the system’s expected intensification into a deep depression and the subsequent assessment of whether it develops into a cyclone. Its track, intensity and potential coastal impact will depend on how it evolves over the Bay of Bengal, with official forecasts remaining the basis for public advisories and administrative preparedness.
