The Department of Meteorology has issued an amber advisory for strong winds, heavy showers and rough seas in the Bay of Bengal and eastern coastal waters around Sri Lanka. The alert comes as a low-pressure system in the southeast Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression.
At 05:30 a.m. on 25 October, the system was located roughly 900 km northeast of Batticaloa. It is forecast to track west-northwest, turning into a deep depression by 26 October and further developing into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by the morning of 27 October. The storm is projected to head toward the Andhra Pradesh coast within approximately 48 hours.
The weather department is cautioning both naval and fishing communities to avoid venturing into deep-sea areas between latitudes 05°N–15°N and longitudes 80°E–95°E until further notice. Those already in these zones are instructed to move to safer waters immediately.
Warnings also cover shallow sea areas off the coast from Kankasanthurai to Batticaloa via Trincomalee, and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota — where hazardous marine conditions are expected.
Wind speeds in the affected areas may increase to 55–65 kmph, with heavy thundershowers driving sea states to rough to very rough levels at times.
