South-east India lowers alert level as cyclone weakens

South-eastern India was no longer bracing for a cyclone Thursday, after a storm heading for the coast weakened, dpa reported. Weather system Lehar was downgraded to a deep depression and expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh state with winds of only up to 70 kilometres per hour later Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, down from 140 kilometres per hour on Wednesday. Rainfall was expected to be "isolated heavy to very heavy" in coastal areas, the IMD said. "We have stopped evacuations in low-lying areas," state management official VK Ekbote said, adding that authorities would be on flood alert until Friday.