A depression over the Indian Ocean and the southeast Bay of Bengal has intensified and moved further northwestwards, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Saturday.

It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours and further into a severe cyclonic storm, the IMD said and warned fishermen against venturing into the sea on Sunday.

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“The depression over east Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal moved further northwestwards, intensified into a deep depression and lay centered about 870 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 1210 km southeast of Chennai and 1500 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh,” it said.

“It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours and further into a severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours,” the IMD said.

Further, the system is very likely to move northwestwards off Sri Lanka coast during the next 72 hours and reach near north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts on April 30.

On Sunday, gale wind speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph and very rough to high seas are very likely over southwest Bay of Bengal adjoining east Equatorial Indian Ocean along and off Sri Lanka coast, the weather office said.

There would be strong wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, Comorin area, Gulf of Mannar and over Kerala, it said.

“Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas,” it said in its “Weather Warning”.

Earlier on Thursday, the IMD issued a red alert for Kerala and Tamil Nadu over approaching Cyclone Fani in the Bay of Bengal.

Rainfall as a result of the cyclone has been predicted in most places in coastal southern India, including Puducherry.

Rains will also hit southern parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Last year in November, Cyclone Ockhi had hit parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The cyclone killed over 80 fishermen in Kerala. Around 140 people were reported missing.

In November 2018, Cyclone Gaja made landfall in Nagapattinam’s Vedaranyam block and killed around 46 people.

(With PTI inputs)