Over the past week, meteorologists have been monitoring a new cyclonic system over the south Andaman Sea region.

As per the latest analysis, this system is expected to intensify and develop into a depression over the Southeast Bay of Bengal by Tuesday (Dec 6) evening.

The system is then expected move west-northwestwards, turn into a cyclonic storm and reach the Southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coast by Thursday morning (December 8). However, some projections also suggest that this system will decline into a ‘depression’ again before making a landfall around Puducherry on Friday afternoon (December 9).

If the system evolves into a tropical cyclone, it will know as Cyclone Mandous, as suggested by UAE.

Heavy downpours are on the cards over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal from December 7 to December 9.

Accordingly, an orange alert has been sounded over the state for Thursday (Dec 8) and Friday(Dec 9).

Additionally, very heavy rains are also expected to pound the south Andhra coast during this period.

Hence, the Coastal Andhra subdivision has also been put under orange alert for Thursday, December 8.