The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Tuesday that the low‑pressure zone over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression, moving westward at 18 km/h.
At 8:30 a.m. local time, the depression was centered roughly 290 km east of Visakhapatnam, and the IMD forecast it will become a deep depression between 8 p.m. on September 23 and 8 a.m. on September 24.
The storm is projected to cross the coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, and the department warned of heavy rainfall in isolated pockets of coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema from September 22 to 25.
State officials have issued a heavy rain alert and urged residents to secure loose items and avoid low‑lying areas as the system approaches.
The IMD said the system could bring rainfall amounts up to 200 mm in some localities, potentially disrupting transport and water supply.
Meteorologists warn that the next satellite pass on September 24 will determine the storm’s intensity, after which the government will decide on evacuation measures.