Cyclone Akvan is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm before making landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on Thursday, while Kolkata and five other South Bengal districts could see rain and strong winds from Wednesday, according to an Alipore Meteorological Office bulletin issued on Sunday afternoon.
The system was located over the southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and was moving northwards at about 10 kilometres per hour in the three hours before the bulletin was issued. At that time, winds around the depression were estimated at 50 to 60 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 70 kilometres per hour.
The weather office said the deep depression was expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Monday evening. It would then be named Akvan, a name proposed by Iran that means “giant” or “evil spirit”. The cyclone is forecast to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday evening, when gusts could reach 115 kilometres per hour. By Thursday morning, it is expected to become a very severe cyclonic storm, with sustained winds of around 120 to 130 kilometres per hour and occasional gusts of up to 145 kilometres per hour.
The system was positioned about 690 kilometres east of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, 1,130 kilometres south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 840 kilometres east-southeast of Chennai at the time of the bulletin. Its projected movement indicated that landfall was likely to occur in Andhra Pradesh, although the report described the track in terms of the available forecast at that stage.
South Bengal is expected to remain largely dry until Tuesday. Light rain may begin from Wednesday in Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore and West Midnapore. On Thursday, South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore could receive heavy rain of 7 to 11 centimetres, accompanied by winds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. The weather office has issued a yellow alert for all of South Bengal for that day.
Heavy rain is forecast to continue in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore until Saturday. Howrah, Jhargram and West Midnapore are also expected to receive heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. Kolkata may experience rain and strong winds, but heavy rain has not been forecast for the city.
The report said no warning had yet been issued for fishermen at sea. North Bengal is not expected to be affected by the system. Darjeeling and Kalimpong could receive isolated rain on Sunday and Monday, after which mainly dry weather is forecast across the region. No major change in temperatures is expected in North Bengal.
