COLOMBO, Jan. 9 -- A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, located about 170 kilometres east of Batticaloa, is likely to move north-westwards and make landfall along Sri Lanka's eastern coast between Pottuvil and Trincomalee on the evening of Friday (9), the Department of Meteorology said in its latest forecast.

The Met Department revised an earlier assessment that the system could intensify into a cyclone, saying the weather system is now expected to remain a deep depression and may weaken further after crossing land.

"At 6.00 a.m. on January 9, the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka was located about 170 kilometres east of Batticaloa and is very likely to move north-westwards towards the coast of Sri ...