Bhubaneswar: The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal has intensified and is likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ within the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

According to the IMD, the system is moving west-northwestwards at a speed of around 6 kmph and was centred at 8:30 am near latitude 11.2°N and longitude 87.1°E. It was located about 620 km west of Port Blair, 780 km east-southeast of Chennai, 830 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 830 km southeast of Kakinada, and 930 km south-southeast of Gopalpur.

The IMD said the system will gradually strengthen and is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Later, it will move northwestw

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