Cyclone Phethai's landfall process begins along Andhra Pradesh coast

VISAKHAPATNAM: The process of landfall of cyclone Phethai has started, said YK Reddy, director, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In the latest weather bulletin issued on Monday afternoon, Reddy told TOI that the system would cross the Andhra Pradesh coast, around

Kakinada

within a few hours, likely by 3pm.

READ ALSO:All you need to know about Cyclone Phethai
The cyclone would maintain wind speed 70-100kmph during the landfall.

The cyclone has been located 35kms east-southeast of Narsapur in West Godavari district and 75kms south-southwest of Kakinada in

East Godavari district

.

The cyclone is moving at a speed of nearly 20kmph. Phethai is the 77th cyclone crossing Andhra Pradesh coast in the 127-year-old history of the IMD.

Under the influence of the cyclone, many areas along the AP coast received heavy to extremely heavy rainfalls from Monday morning.

The parts of East and West Godavari districts are receiving extremely heavy rainfalls registering nearly 150mm of rainfall.

Araku Valley

, a tourist place of the state in

Visakhapatnam district

received 60mm of rainfall till 1.30pm.

Phethai, the name of the cyclone is suggested by Thailand. It is pronounced as `Pay-ti’, means a vegetarian bean in Thailand.

Coconut trees and electricity poles were uprooted at many coastal areas on Monday, said a source from AP Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL).

The Indian Railways suspended the operations of total nearly 50 trains along the Chennai-Howrah main railway line along the AP coast on Monday due to the cyclone.

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