A much-depleted version of Cyclone Asani is tipped to come near the West Bengal coast around Thursday.
It is likely to be too weak to have any considerable impact on Kolkata, said Met officials.
The city sky is likely to be cloudy from May 10 and is set to experience light to moderate rain on May 11 and 12. The rain might come in the form of thunderstorms. The conditions are likely to be breezy.
Three coastal districts of south Bengal — Purba Medinipur, and South and North 24-Parganas — are tipped to get a spell of heavy rain between May 11 and 12, according to the Met forecast.
A depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone Asani early on Sunday. Around Sunday evening, the system strengthened into a severe cyclonic storm, the fiercest stage in its life cycle, triggering gusts of wind clocking over 120kmph.
But the system was then over the east-central Bay of Bengal, around 700km from the Bengal coast.
“When the system comes near the Odisha coast, it will most likely turn into a depression. By the time it comes near the Bengal coast, it is likely to have depleted into a low-pressure area or, even further, to a cyclonic circulation. It is likely to be closest to Kolkata on May 12,” said G.K. Das, director, IMD, Kolkata.
On Sunday morning, Asani was on the southeast Bay, 940km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 1,000km from Puri in Odisha, said a Met bulletin. The system with a diameter of over 400km was moving in a northwestward direction.
“Cyclonic storm Asani over southeast Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 14kmph during past six hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centred at 5.30pm over southeast and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal, 810km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 880km south-southeast of Puri (Odisha),” said a Met bulletin on Sunday night.
“It is very likely to move northwestwards till 10th May night and reach westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast.”
Dry winds and a strong wind shear are likely to be the agents of the weakening of the system.
“The height of the system is likely to be around 10km from the sea surface. The dry winds will enter between 3km and 5km from the surface. The dry winds will cause maximum damage to the system once they enter the core of the system,” said Das.
