The Andhra Pradesh government has put seven coastal districts of Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam on high alert in the wake of the predictions over cyclonic storm Phethai.

The Indian Meteorology Department has predicted that it would hit the coasts of Andhra Pradesh on Monday afternoon, bringing heavy rains to the state and parts of Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were already deployed in the districts likely to be impacted by the cyclone.

Follow LIVE updates here:

10:55 pm IST Eastern Naval Command dispatches ships for rescue operation Eastern Naval Command has dispatched Ships Jyoti and Shakti to Kakinada for the Cyclone Rescue Operation. INS Shakti with diving, medical teams and Humanitarian Assistance and Distress Relief stores along with a UH3H helicopter is being sailed out from Visakhapatnam to Kakinada, according to news agency ANI.





9:50 pm IST Cyclone to weaken into depression tomorrow: Skymet Weather Cyclone Phethai is expected to weaken into depression tomorrow, with heavy rains in Odisha and WestBengal, according to private weather forecast agency Skymet Weather.





5:30 pm IST Disaster management teams clearing drains, roads Panchayat Raj and Rural Development teams along with the disaster management teams are clearing drains, roads and sideways in the villages affected by Cyclone Phethai. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development teams along with the disaster management teams are clearing drains, roads and sideways in the villages affected by Cyclone Phethai. ( PR&RD Minister Nara Lokesh/ANI Twitter )





4:55 pm IST Restoration begins in Andhra villages Restoration work has started in the villages of Andhra Pradesh following the landfall of Cyclone Phethai. Restoration work has started in the villages of Andhra Pradesh following the landfall of Cyclone Phethai. ( ANI Photo/Twitter )





3:44 pm IST Woman killed in Godavari district due to squally winds A woman died due to squally winds in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The woman was identified as Rellivalasala Veeramma (68) of Pallepalem.





3:27 pm IST Mercury dips in Jharkhand due to cyclone Phethai Jharkhand witnessed cold weather on Monday due to incessant rains in the state, a weather official told IANS. “Jharkhand is receiving moderate to heavy rainfall due to a cyclone which will hit the Andhra Pradesh coast on Monday afternoon,” RS Sharma, Ranchi meteorological scientist told the news agency.





3:13 pm IST One person dies due to landslide in Vijayawada A person identified as Durga Rao (40), a resident of Christhurajanpuram died due to a landslide early on Monday, the police said. A boulder from the hilltop rolled over his tiled house and hit him in the head while sleeping by piercing through the rooftop.District collector announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50000 to the victim’s family.





2:03 pm IST Normal life hit in coastal districts of Andhra Cyclone ‘Phethai’ made landfall in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh Monday afternoon bringing moderate to heavy rains even as normal life remained hit in the coastal districts of the state. The Real-Time Governance Centre at the state Secretariat here announced that ‘Phethai’ weakened into a cyclone as it made landfall near Katrenikona around 12.25 pm with a wind speed of 80 kmph.





1:56 pm IST Educational institutions in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh closed Educational institutions in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh have been closed today as a precautionary measure.





1.20 pm IST Cyclone Phethai has made landfall Weather agency Skymet has said that Cyclone Phethai has just now made its landfall between Narsapur and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. #CyclonePhethai - Cyclone Phethai has just now made its landfall between Narsapur and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. @htTweets @scroll_in — SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) December 17, 2018





12:51 pm IST Kolkata likely to experience light to moderate rain: MeT department Kolkata, which has had an overcast sky since Sunday with intermittent drizzles, is likely to experience light to moderate rain, MeT department said. The system is likely to cause widespread rain in all districts of Gangetic West Bengal, with heavy rain in one or two places till Tuesday morning, it said. Four districts in South Odisha have been experiencing rain since Sunday evening due to the cyclone, while Gangetic West Bengal is likely to experience heavy rain till Tuesday morning, the meteorological (Met) department said.





12:14 pm IST Over 50 trains cancelled in Andhra Pradesh The South Central Railway has cancelled over 50 trains in coastal Andhra Pradesh in view of severe cyclonic storm Phethai, which is set to hit the coast near Kakinada on Monday afternoon. Many trains from Vijayawada to various destinations in coastal Andhra were suspended as a precautionary measure. The Visakhapatnam-Guntur Simhadri Express, Guntur-Visakhapatnam Simhadri Express, Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Ratnachalam Express, Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam Ratnachalam Express, Narsapur-Nidadavolu Link Express and Nidadavolu-Narsapu Link Express were among the trains cancelled. Passenger trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Guntur and Bhimavaram were also cancelled.





12:04 am IST Stranded fishermen located, yet to be rescued East Godavari Superintendent of police Vishal Gunni told Hindustan Times that frantic efforts by officials for several hours helped to locate them at last “ they are all safe taking shelter in an oil and natural gas corporation (ONGC) rig near bhairavavanipalem in East Godavar district and they are to be rescued”, the SP said.





11:48 am IST Delhi-Visakhapatnam flight diverted Delhi-Visakhapatnam flight services were diverted as inclement weather became not conducive for landing of flights





11.30 am IST Six fishermen from Kakinada caught in rough sea Six fishermen from Kakinada — Vasupalli Danelu, Maripalli Satti Babu, Perla Kasulu, Kundedu Kasi, Vasupalli Yarraýya and Merugu Yesobulu — who went for fishing on Sunday have been caught in rough sea.





11.20 am IST Several passenger trains cancelled South central railways cancelled several passenger trains covering Visakhapatnam, Kakinada port, Rajahmundry, Narsapur, Machilipatnam, Bhimavaram, Nidadavole, Vijayawada and Guntur





11.10 am IST Fish, prawn casualties due to drop in oxygen levels Fish and prawn reported heavy casualties in Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari districts due to drop in oxygen levels in ponds because of a sudden drop in temperatures.





11 am IST Heavy rains batter Andhra Pradesh Heavy rains have been lashing East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh since Sunday night.



