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NEW: A storm surge of up to 5 feet is expected
Thane is churning east towards the Indian coast
It is expected to make landfall Friday morning
Indian officials described it as a "very severe cyclonic storm"
High winds began smacking the southeastern coastline of India as a “very severe cyclonic storm” was expected to move ashore early Friday.
Coastal districts in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and in the territory of Puducherry were on high alert as they braced for Thane, a storm in the Bay of Bengal that was predicted to pack winds gusting at 83 miles per hour, the Indian Meteorological Department said in a bulletin.
Fishermen were advised to stay off rough seas and coastal residents were told to evacuate to higher ground.
Many people in largely agricultural and fishing communities along the coast live in thatched-roof huts that could sustain extensive damage, the government warned. It also warned of power and communication outages.
Farmers were advised to drain off excess water from their fields to prevent crop damage.
In Tamil Nadu, the government announced a closure of schools in coastal districts, including the capital.
Residents of coastal areas said winds had already begun howling late Thursday night.
Even after landfall, the system is likely to maintain its intensity for 12 hours and weaken gradually, the IMD said. Extremely heavy rainfall is likely to continue over north Tamil Nadu and Pudducherry for 24 hours after landfall, the department said.