Khai Muk cyclone weakens, spares coastal AP

 Khai Muk, the tropical cyclone in the south-east Bay of Bengal which was threatening to strike coastal Andhra region since Friday, has weakened, the Cyclone Warning Center at Visakhapatanam said on Saturday.

"It is likely to weaken further into a depression or even low pressure," S Venkateshwarulu, director of CWC, told rediff.com.
 
The Andhra Pradesh government had braced itself for what seemed like a major disaster. "Due to the change in the climatic factor, the cyclone dissipated fast," Venkateshwarulu said.
 
The system was now likely to cross the Andhra coast near Machlipatnam in Krishna district on Saturday night, causing winds with a speed of 55 to 75 kms per hour and isolated heavy rains in many places in the region.
 
Earlier, the state government had put the administration in all the nine coastal districts on high alert to deal with the situation.

However, when the weakened system hits the coast, Prakasham and West Godavari districts will feel its impact.