Hyderabad/UNI: The landfall process of Severe Cyclonic Storm ''Michaung'' (Pronounced as Migjaum) has begun near Bapatla on Andhra Pradesh Coast on Tuesday afternoon and likely to continue for next three hours, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

It said in a bulletin that the system is likely to move nearly Northwards and cross South Andhra Pradesh Coast close to Bapatla during the next 2 hours as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 Kmph gusting to 110 kmph.

IMD also said the Storm surge of about 1-1.5 meter above astronomical tide likely to inundate south Coastal Andhra Pradesh districts at the time of landfall. After landfall while weakening gradually, the system will maintain the intensity of the cyclonic storm for about 12 hours.

The wind speed will gradually decrease to 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph by this evening and further gradually decrease becoming 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph by midnight tonight..

The Severe Cyclonic Storm over WestCentral Bay of Bengal moved Northwards with a speed of 10 Kmph during the past six hours and lay centered at 1130 hours today over the same region near Latitude 15.45° North and Longitude 80.25° East, about 20 km East of Ongole, 50 km South-Southwest of Bapatla, 70 km North-NorthEast of Kavali, 110 Km North-NorthEast of Nellore and 120 Km Southwest of Machilipatnam, the bulletin added.