Cyclone Lehar made landfall at around 3 pm on November 28, near Machlipatnam in coastal Andhra Pradesh with wind speeds of 65 kmph. Gradual weakening of the system will lead to lesser pressure gradient resulting in the wind intensity dissipating and eventually die down.
The coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh including Krishna and Guntur have been receiving heavy rain but its intensity will decrease within 6 hours from landfall. Machilipatnam, Gannavaram, Bapatla and Narsapura will see the highest impact in terms of rain.The system will move northwestward and form a low pressure area by tonight. This will give rise to a cloud cover extending to parts of Telangana, Rayalseema and south interior Karnataka. As predicted earlier, Hyderabad will receive good amounts of rain and Bangalore light showers.
Under the influence of Cyclone Helen and other tropical weather systems, Bangalore has been receiving heavy rain and recorded the heaviest, at 108 mm on November 24. Hyderabad, on the other hand will receive the much needed respite from above normal temperatures. Cloud cover and rain will bring down day temperatures below normal by 4 to 5 degrees. Nights will be pleasant as the mercury is expected to rise by a couple of notches. Weather in rest of South India will also be influenced by the present system.
Taking cue from the destruction caused by Phailin and followed by Helen, the state government had sounded alert and evacuated thousands of people from vulnerable areas of the coastal districts. However, Cyclone Lehar, the third one to threaten the Andhra coast in a month, will not cause much damage to life and property.
