Bhubaneswar, Nov 22: A low-pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal and may intensify into a depression on November 24, according to meteorologists. The system developed over the South Andaman Sea near the Malacca Strait under an active cyclonic circulation.

Weather expert Prof. Surendranath Pashupalak said the system could strengthen into a cyclone by November 26 and may rapidly intensify while moving north or northwest. Models indicate it could become a severe cyclone by November 28 and a very severe cyclone by November 29–30 as it heads toward the southwest and west–central Bay of Bengal.

He noted that a strong high-pressure belt stretching from the western Pacific to Myanmar may push the system west–northwest, increasing the chances of it moving toward the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts.

Authorities are monitoring the situation closely.