Cyclone Bulbul: Weather department suggested coastal dwellers be shifted to safer places.
Cyclone Bulbul, which has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, is likely to make landfall between West Bengal and Bangladesh in the early hours of Sunday, bringing in its wake heavy rain and gusts of up to 135 kmph in the coastal areas, the weather department said.
The storm might cause damage to kutcha houses, power and communication lines and roads in parts of the state, Regional Met Director GK Das said, advising people in vulnerable areas to stay indoors.
It might also uproot trees, ruin crops and cause embankment erosion, he warned.
According to Mr Das, Kolkata was expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall with gusts of up to 70 km per hour on November 9 and 10.
The weatherman said the severe cyclonic storm, which lay centered 600 km south of Kolkata today morning, was expected to intensify further by Saturday and move northwards.
"Thereafter, it is very likely to re-curve northeastwards and make landfall between Sagar Islands of West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh across Sunderban delta during the early hours of November 10," Mr Das said.
During landfall, ''Bulbul'' is "very likely" to be in the ''severe cyclonic storm'' category with maximum sustained wind-speed of 110 to 120 km per hour, gusting up to 135 kmph, the regional Met director said.
The weatherman has asked the Bengal administration to suspend fishing activities and ferry boat service on November 9 and 10 in Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore districts.
It suggested that coastal hutment dwellers be moved to safer places.
The weather department also asked tourists in seaside resort towns along the West Bengal coast not to indulge in any water-based activity from the evening of November 8.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), light to moderate rain was likely at many places over the coastal districts of West Bengal today, with heavy rain at one or two areas.
The intensity of showers is very likely to increase on November 9 with heavy to very heavy rain at a few places and extremely heavy rain at one or two places in North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly.
The weatherman said that gale wind speed reaching 120 to 130 kmph and gusting to 140 kmph was prevailing over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal.
"The wind-speed is very likely to increase gradually to 145 to 155 kmph, with gusts of up to 170 kmph by early hours of November 9," Mr Das said.
The coastal areas of the state were likely to be hit by 110 to 120 kmph gale wind, with gusts up to 135 kmph from November 9 afternoon, the IMD prediction said Sea condition was expected to hover between very rough and phenomenal during this period, it added.