Cyclone Pabuk: IMD issues alert, recommends suspension of fishing operations in Andaman Sea

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued an alert over the emergence of Cyclonic storm 'Pabuk' into the Andaman Islands, which made its landfall at 12.45 pm in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand with sustained winds of 75 km per hour.

The weather department has recommended a total suspension of fishing operation over the Andaman Sea and adjoining southeast and eastcentral Bay of Bengal from January 5 to January 7 and over eastcentral and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on January 8.

"Sea condition will be high over the Andaman Islands, the Andaman Sea and adjoining areas of eastcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal from the evening of January 5 till the morning of January 7. The sea condition will be very rough over the Nicobar Islands till January 6," IMD said.

Cyclone 'Pabuk' had centred itself over the Gulf of Thailand on Friday and was likely to move northwestwards and emerge into the Andaman Sea by Saturday morning. 

On Friday morning, the cyclonic storm moved west-northwestwards from the South China Sea region and centred itself over the Gulf of Thailand, between latitude 8.3 degrees North and longitude 101.0 degrees East, about 990 km east-southeast of Port Blair. 

Therefore, it is very likely to cross the Andaman Islands around the evening of January 6, IMD said. The weather agency, in a statement, said that the storm will recurve northeastwards towards Myanmar coast and weaken further by January 7.

(With inputs from ANI)