Cyclonic storm with speed of 30 to 40 kmph to hit districts of Gangetic Bengal on Dec 4

Kolkata: Cyclonic storm accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning and light to moderate rainfall would hit the districts of gangetic Bengal on December 4 and 5 with formation of a low pressure trough over the central parts of Andaman Sea.

The thunderstorm would hit the districts including North and South 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram and Howrah with a speed of 30 to 40 kmph on December 4.

On December 5, it would hit at a speed of 40 to 50 kmph in districts including Kolkata, North and South 24-Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram and Howrah districts and wind speed would be of around 30 to 40 kmph over Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Hooghly, Nadia, East Bardhaman, West Burdwan, Murshidababad and Malda.

There is yellow warning of heavy rainfall of around 7 to 11 cm that is likely to occur on December 4 at one or two places over East

and West, North and South 24-Parganas, Jhargram and Howrah while there would be very heavy rainfall of around 7 to 20 cm on December 5 in these districts. There would also be heavy rainfall in Purulia, Bankura, Hooghly, Nadia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, East Bardhaman, West Bardhaman and Malda on December 5.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, a low pressure area lies over central parts of Andaman Sea and neighbourhood that is likely to move west-northwest and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by Thursday. It would intensify into a cyclonic storm over central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours. Subsequently, it is likely to move northwest wards and intensify further to reach north Andhra Pradesh–Odisha coasts on December 4 morning.

With the forecast of cyclonic storm accompanied with heavy rainfall, the state Agriculture department has issued an alert urging farmers to ensure harvest of paddy at the earliest and to pump out the water out of the agricultural land where vegetable and oilseed cultivation is taking place. Potato cultivators have been urged to delay sowing by at least a week. The state government is also taking measures to ensure safety of people residing in the coastal areas.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea in between December 3 to 5 and those are out in the sea have been advised to return by Thursday as squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely to commence along and off Bengal coast from December 4 morning and become gale wind speed with 60 to 70 kmph and it may go up to 80 kmph from the evening of December 4 for the next 12 hours.