New low‑pressure system over Andaman Sea may bring rain to Andhra Pradesh

A fresh low‑pressure area has developed over the south Andaman Sea and could bring rain to Andhra Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned on Thursday. The system formed at about 5:30 a.m. on October 29 under a cyclonic circulation and remained over the same region at 8:30 a.m. IMD officials said it is likely to move west‑northwest, become a well‑marked low‑pressure area over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by October 30 and concentrate into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal by October 31. The department added that heavy rain is forecast for isolated coastal spots in Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 2 and 3, coinciding with the urban local‑body elections scheduled for November 1. The remnants of Cyclone Arnab, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast a day earlier, are now a depression over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining south Odisha. At 8:30 a.m. it was centred near latitude 19.4° N, longitude 81.9° E, about 40 km north‑northwest of Jagdalpur, moving north at 18 kmph. It is expected to weaken into a low‑pressure area over north Chhattisgarh and northwest Odisha by the evening of October 29. Rainfall in the past 24 hours was heavy to very heavy across north Andhra Pradesh, northeast Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. South Odisha saw extreme totals, with Patrapur (Ganjam) recording 546 mm, Sorada 503 mm, G. Udaygiri 462 mm, Mahendragarh 458 mm, Sanakhemundi 388 mm and Chikiti 309 mm. Water released from the Baghalati dam in Patrapur flooded Ichchapuram and nearby villages in Andhra Pradesh. The system is under continuous radar surveillance from Raipur and Sambalpur.

Context

Low‑pressure systems over the Andaman Sea often drift toward the Bay of Bengal during the post‑monsoon season. When they intensify, they can bring sudden heavy rain to coastal states. The timing of the forecast overlaps with Andhra Pradesh’s urban local‑body elections, raising concerns about voter turnout and flood‑related disruptions.