Cyclone HUDHUD Update: Will Grow Into A Full Blown Cyclone On Thursday (8 October, 2014) Afternoon: Target: DHARMAVARAM (AP)

Satellite Infra-red Image of Tropical Depression 3B (Cyclone Hudhud) taken today morning at 04300 hours (IST)

The present Tropical Depression 3B is now crossing the central Andaman Island. By tomorrow afternoon (Thursday, October 9, 2014) IST, it will have strengthened into Cyclone Hudhud with winds in excess of 85 kph.

Right now the storm is drenching "Kaal Paani" with winds of about 55-60 kph. It will intensify further in the coming 30 hours. It will then start moving in  a NW direction.

When it approaches the Orissa coast on Friday evening, it will suddenly intensify further and grow into a bigger storm. Winds of about 120 kph. It will enter the Odisha coast at Gopal-at-Sea (Berhampur) on the night of Saturday (11 October, 2014).

Let me make one thing clear. Hudhud is not going to be another 1999 super cyclone. Nor will it be a Katrina or Vongfong. But it is going to be a significant storm.

The Orissa government has rightly geared into action from now. The Andhra government too should be prepared as the northern districts of the state are going to be affected on Saturday night-Sunday afternoon.

The Andhra government should start preparations on a war footing as there are chances that Ground Zero might shift from Gopal-at-Sea to Visakhapatnam.

NOAA forecasts warn that when Hudhud makes landfall at DHARMAVARAM (Andhra pradesh) between Gopal-at-Sea and Visakhapatnam the wind speeds will be 150 kph. The storm is going to rapidly intensify before hitting the Indian coast on Saturday night.