Early on June 21, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared the area a depression, 430 km (270 mi) east-southeast of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Several hours later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA), with winds near 30 kn (55 km/h, 35 mph). The depression moved quickly west-northwest towards the northern Andhra Pradesh coast. A subtropical ridge to the north weakened the wind shear which had been hindering the storm's development, allowing for further intensification. Later that day, the IMD upgraded the system to a deep depression. As convection organised with increasing ocean heat content, the JTWC issued its first warning on Tropical Cyclone 03B.