Bay Storm Threatens Andhra Coast, Officials Urge Residents to Prepare

A depression about 440 kilometres north-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram has put the Andaman Islands on alert, with rough to very rough seas expected. The Andaman and Nicobar Administration is urging residents to follow official warnings and avoid risky activities as the system grows stronger over the Bay of Bengal. Forecasts point toward Andhra Pradesh, where preparations are moving beyond warnings and into plans to relocate people. ^1,6

The system strengthened into a deep depression on Sunday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India’s weather agency. The IMD expects it to become a cyclone early Monday, a severe cyclone on Tuesday and a very severe cyclone by Wednesday, October 28. It may cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, bringing winds of 115 to 125 kilometres per hour and stronger gusts.⁶ The Andaman Islands’ rough seas are an early sign of the threat to people at sea.

Those rough seas have prompted officials to tell fishermen not to go into parts of the Bay or waters off the Andaman Islands until Monday. In Andhra Pradesh, authorities plan to move people from areas at risk in eight coastal districts into shelters by October 27. Ten National Disaster Response Force teams and 11 State Disaster Response Force teams are in place, and Odisha has sent response teams to five at-risk districts.^1,6,7 Forecasts can still change, so residents should follow current official advice rather than assume the storm’s path is fixed.

October 27 is the key deadline for planned evacuations in Andhra Pradesh. Officials are preparing shelters, food, drinking water, medical help and power repairs, while local authorities have opened control rooms and told fishermen to return to shore.^6,8 The storm is expected to reach the coast the following morning. Residents in warned areas should follow evacuation orders and keep checking updates from the IMD and local authorities.