The cyclonic storm located in the southeast Bay of Bengal may change course and move towards Orissa, meteorological department officials said on Tuesday.

The storm, officials added, is currently moving slowly towards the Andhra coast. On Tuesday, met department officials had said that Chennai, several districts of Tamil Nadu and the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh will experience heavy rains and strong winds due to the storm.

"We expect it (storm) to move in a north-westerly direction. We have informed the authorities that if the movement continues to be north-west, the system may hit south Orissa coast. This is just a precaution, not a warning," Hyderabad Meteorological Centre Director C V V Bhadram told rediff.com on Wednesday morning.

Bhadram, however, said it was difficult to predict when the storm will hit the coast.