India Met Department (IMD) may have withdrawn a cyclone watch over Lakshadweep, but has located a fresh low-pressure area to the other side of the South Peninsula over the Bay of Bengal.

It is expected to become more 'marked' tomorrow over the central parts of South Bay - where predecessor severe cyclone 'Gaja' had originated - signalling one round of intensification.

FRESH RAINS FOR TN

The Met has forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall over Tamil Nadu and adjoining south peninsular of India with intense rainfall activity over Tamil Nadu and Kerala from Friday to Sunday.

Wind speeds projected from Wednesday suggest that a depression, or even a minimal cyclone, could be thereoff the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts.

The Met sees heavy rain at a few places with very heavy rain at isolated places likely over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and heavy rain at isolated places over Rayalaseema on Wednesday and Thursday.

ARABIAN SEA WEATHER

Squally winds with speed reaching up to 50 km/hr gusting to 60 km/hr are likely over the South-West along and off the Tamil Nadu coast. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas.

Action is also building over the North-West Pacific with tropical storm 'Toraji' spotted just off the Vietnam coast, and a trailing system '98C' off the Philippines, expected to reach depression status soon. It could have 'telescopic' influence on the weather over the South China Sea and the adjoining Andaman Sea and the South-East Bay in due course, according to some models.

Earlier this morning, the Met withdraw the watch for a cyclone in a rare event where a remnant of Bay of Bengal cyclone ('Gaja') had re-intensified in the Arabian Sea as a deep depression.

This is only a step below a cyclone, which it was initially expected to become, but now withdrawn after the deep depression ran into harsh and unfriendly environment away from Lakshadweep.

SQUALLY OVER LAKSHADWEEP

The deep depression was located 350 km west-south-west of Kavaratti; 340 km west-south-west of Agatt (both in Lakshadweep); and about 1,700 km east-south-east of Socotra (Yemen).

It is likely to move west-north-westwards and away from Lakshadweep area during the next two days. It may maintain the intensity of deep depression until tomorrow and start weakening.

But a squally weather alert with winds speeding up to 50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr has been retained for the Lakshadweep area for the rest of the day today.

Winds speeding up to 65 km/hr and gusting 75 km/hr would prevail over the Arabian Sea to the west of the Lakshadweep Islands during the same period.

Winds of only slightly lesser intensity (55 km/hr gusting to 65 km/hr) are warned over the central parts of the South Arabian Sea tomorrow and South-West Arabian Sea the day after.

Fisherman have been warned not to venture out into the waters around Lakshadweep Islands variously until the day after tomorrow.

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