Kolkata: Though the place of landfall is yet to be ascertained, the cyclonic storm at Bay of Bengal will intensify into a severe cyclone storm Asani (name given by Sri Lanka) by Monday morning (from the time of reporting).
According to IMD director Sanjib Bandhopadhyay, the coastal areas of the state will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall from May 10 to 12 and fishermen are asked not to venture into the sea from May 10.
“The cyclonic storm is currently moving towards northwest direction and is laying 940 kms away from Visakhapatnam and 1000 kms away from Puri. By Monday morning it will turn into a severe cyclonic storm. Though the place of landfall is yet to be ascertained but it will likely hit the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh. The wind speed will be over 70 km/hr. There are chances of the severe cyclonic storm to recurve north-northeast wards and move towardsNorthwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast,” said Bandhopadhyay.
Bandhopadhyay also said that apart from coastal areas North and South 24 parganas will also receive heavy rainfall.
“Entire South Bengal will receive moderate rainfall from Tuesday to Thursday and wind speed will be 30 to 40 km/hr. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal will be affected due to this cyclonic storm and the exact location of landfall will be clear by Monday,” further mentioned the weatherman.
Meanwhile, owing to the bad weather Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had postponed her administrative meeting at West Midnapore and Jhargram by a week.
According to state secretariat Nabanna sources, instead of May 10, 11, 12, the Chief Minister will hold the administrative and party meetings on May 17, 18 and 19.
Control room is being opened at Nabanna and dry foods are also being prepared in case of flood like situation at the coastal areas.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim said that he will monitor the control room and all the pumping stations are instructed to be open so that no water logging takes place in the city.
