Andhra: Low-pressure over Bay of Bengal, IMD issues signal 3 warning

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], July 19 : The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a Signal 3 port warning at Kalingapatnam, Visakhapatnam, and Kakinada ports in Andhra Pradesh due to low-pressure over the Bay of Bengal.
IMD uses an elaborate signal system ranging from 1 to 11, which is hoisted at the ports to warn vessels of a possible cyclonic storm.
Signal 3 implies that a depression has formed and could affect the port and that surface winds are likely between 22-27 knots (40-50 kmph). According to the warning, the port is likely to experience squalls.
"The well-marked low-pressure area over the northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal off Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts has concentrated into a depression today. It lies near latitude 19.2°N and longitude 86.2°E, about 70 km southeast of Puri (Odisha), 130 km East of Gopalpur (Odisha), 130 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 240 km east-northeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)," Srinuvas, MD, Visakhapatnam cyclone warning centre, told ANI.
"It is likely to move northwestwards and cross the Odisha coast near Puri as a depression during the early morning hours of tomorrow, July 20. Thereafter, it would move west-northwestwards across Odisha & Chhattisgarh and weaken gradually during the subsequent 24 hours," he added.
Several parts of Andhra Pradesh experienced heavy rain on Friday. In the Alluri Seetharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh, district collector Dinesh Kumar has declared a holiday on Friday for all educational institutions in the district due to the widespread rains.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala also experienced heavy rains on Friday.
Amid heavy and continuous rainfall and reports of landslides in a few areas of the Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu, the Niligiri district administrator declared holidays in schools on Friday.
District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneru declared a holiday for schools in the Ooty, Gudalur, kundha and Pandalu regions of the district as the district has experienced heavy rain for the past five days.
She further declared a holiday for schools in four other taluks, including Udkai, Kunta, Kudalur and Bandalur, today.
The Nilgiris district has been experiencing heavy rain for the last five days. As a result, landslides have occurred in many places and trees have fallen, affecting the flow of traffic. Authorities have taken notice of the situation and are working in order to clear the roads and have a steady flow of traffic.
Heavy rainfall has also affected the Kottayam district of Kerala, which has caused distress among the people as most houses are also seen underwater. The western parts of Kottayam, like Thiruvarppu, Illikkal and Pathinarilchira, are waterlogged, with roads submerged underwater. Rain also lashed in parts of Karnataka's Mangaluru city.
The India Meteorological Department has also issued an orange alert for very heavy rainfall in an isolated region in the state of Kerala today.