Cyclone Bulbul is likely to hit the Sunderban delta along the India-Bangladesh border on Sunday with a wind speed of up to 135 km an hour, said India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials. The cyclone will then lose some of its strength and become a ‘severe’ cyclonic storm, again.
The ‘severe’ cyclonic storm Bulbul gathered strength and intensified further into a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm early on Friday morning.
The cyclone is likely to intensify further and move northwards till early morning of November 9. Thereafter, it is expected to re-curve northeast wards and cross West Bengal – Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Islands (West Bengal) and Khepupara (Bangladesh), across the Sunderbans delta during the early hours of November 10. Bulbul will cross the coasts as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 110 to 120 km an hour to 135 km an hour.
The IMD has said that north coastal districts of Odisha and coastal districts of West Bengal would receive light to moderate rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas.
Sea condition would be very rough and a storm surge of 1 – 1.5 metres is likely to inundate many low lying areas in the coastal areas of West Bengal during the cyclone’s landfall. While fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea, the IMD said that the storm could damage mud houses, break branches of trees and snap power lines. The governments of both states have been asked to restrict beach activities.
In West Bengal, the authorities have already started advising people and fishermen in coastal areas not to go near beaches and venture into the sea. Watch towers are being constructed and warning messages are being spread through loudspeakers.
Around 8:45 am on Friday, the cyclone was located around 390 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha and 530 km south-southwest of Sagar Islands in West Bengal. It was moving with a speed of 10 km per hour.
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