The first low-pressure area of the pre-monsoon season is taking shape over the Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining South-West Bay of Bengal and could intensify into a depression.
Usually, a ‘low’ forms over the Bay of Bengal, mostly around the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, but this time round it is likely materialising a little more west-south-west (but closer to the Sri Lankan coast and mainland India).
Depression by weekend
The India Met Department (IMD) has said that the ‘low’ would grow into a depression by the weekend and move towards the Tamil Nadu coast across the East coast of Sri Lanka.
A helpful Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) wave is already present over the Equatorial Indian Ocean, the arrival of which was foreacst last week itself by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The wave is currently of weak amplitude but as it moves further East (across the Bay and the adjoining Equatorial East Indian Ocean to the South of Andaman & Nicobar Islands) it would suddenly grow in strength.