Chennai, April 29: The cyclonic storm Nargis with a core of winds speeding at 70 km per hour may hit the eastern coast within the next 12 hours, an official at the regional meteorological centre said Tuesday night.

"Nargis, now centred around 350 km southeast of here in the Bay of Bengal, is moving in a north westerly direction slowly. It can cross the coast anywhere between Nagappattinam and southeast Andhra Pradesh within the next 12 hours," the met official said.

"These rain-bearing winds may result in the Bay of Bengal turning choppy and heavy rain lashing the coastal areas," the official said.

Wet weather pounded the Tamil Nadu coast from Kanyakumari to the southern edge of the capital, leading to a level-3 caution sign being put up in minor fishing harbours of Nagappattinam and Cuddalore, state government sources added.