Cyclone Fani may trigger heavy rain in Kolkata on Friday, Saturday

KOLKATA: Cyclone Fani is set to trigger moderate to heavy showers, which will be accompanied by gusty winds, in Kolkata and other south Bengal districts on May 3 and 4. The impact on Kolkata could be severe on Saturday when the cyclone passes through the city after making landfall between Gopalpur and Chandbali in Odisha on May 3 afternoon. Heavy showers and wind gusts of up to 80-90kmph have been predicted in Kolkata between May 3 evening and the morning of May 4. An alert has been sounded for tourists and fishermen in Bengal and Odisha, asking them to stay away from the coasts.
Moving at a speed of 21kmph from southeast Bay of Bengal, Fani headed northwestwards and intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday. It will continue to move in the same direction till Wednesday evening and then curve north-northeastwards, hitting land in Odisha on Thursday. Fani will hit land south of Puri on May 3 with a maximum sustained wind speed of 175-185kmph, gusting to 205kmph. Weathermen said the system was an extremely strong one.

“A day later, it will travel through Midnapore and hit Kolkata as a cyclone before entering Bangladesh en route to north-east India. The impact on Kolkata will be severe and the city could be lashed by heavy rain and swept by winds at around 80-90 kmph,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das. He added that the cyclone could bring the maximum temperature down to 31°C-32°C, providing a much-needed break from the scorching spell.
The heat in Kolkata could start coming down from Thursday evening as Fani starts inching towards the Odisha coast. Light rain has not been ruled out but the showers will start intensifying from May 3 afternoon, said the weathermen. “The rain could be moderate to begin with and will gradually intensify as the cyclone curves and starts moving northeast towards Bengal. Along with Kolkata, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and Midnapore could receive heavy showers throughout Saturday,” said Das.
The possibility of rain has not been ruled out on May 4. “If the cyclone slows down before moving into Bengal, the effect could be delayed by a few hours,” he said.
On Tuesday, Kolkata remained warm and humid with the maximum temperature touching 35.1°C. As moisture flows into the region, clouds will start forming, said the Met office. Heating and inflow of some moisture has already formed cloud cells above south Bengal. Light rain has been predicted on Wednesday but Kolkata will remain warm till the cyclone effect sets in.