Cyclone Tej to intensify into 'severe cyclonic storm' before noon today: IMD

Cyclone 'Tej' brewing over the south-west of the Arabian Sea is very likely to intensify into an extremely severe cyclonic storm in the forenoon of Sunday morning, the India Meteorological Department has said. "VSCS (very severe cyclonic storm) Tej lay centred at 2330 IST on October Oct 21 over SW Arabian Sea, about 330 km ESE of Socotra (Yemen), 690 km SSE of Salalah (Oman), and 720 km SE of Al Ghaidah (Yemen). Very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm in the forenoon of October 22," IMD posted on X.

The weather agency said that the cyclone will cross over the Yemen-Oman coasts between Al Ghaidah (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman) around the early hours of October 25. "The WML over the Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression and lay centred at 2330 IST of October 21 over westcentral Bay of Bengal, about 620 km south of Paradip (Odisha), 780 km south of Digha (West Bengal), and 900 km SSW of Khepupara (Bangladesh)," IMD added.

Meanwhile, a depression has formed over the west-central Bay of Bengal, which is likely to further intensify into a deep depression during the next 24 hours, as per IMD. "It is likely to move northwestwards during the next 12 hours, then recurve and move north-northeastwards during the subsequent 3 days towards Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts," IMD said.