The system is expected to produce light to moderate rain in Gangetic West Bengal, with sporadic heavy rain in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, according to Sanjib Bandopadhyay, deputy director-general of the Regional Meteorological Center in Kolkata.

He predicted that, Kolkata would likely experience light to moderate rain on 24 and 25 October.

“Wind speed of 45 to 55 km gusting to 65 kmph will occur in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur on October 24, while on October 25, wind speed will reach 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph,” he told reporters.

According to him, Kolkata and the nearby districts of Howrah and Hooghly will experience winds of 30 to 40 kmph with gusts up to 50 kmph.

“It will not be a super cyclone and further movement of the system will be updated by the Indian Meterological Deartment (IMD) in due course,” Bandopadhyay said.

Mitigation measures in West Bengal

Following the cyclone forecast, the West Bengal government has started the process of moving residents from low-lying areas in the districts of Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas to safe shelters, a senior official said.

“Leaves of all district magistrates, SPs and emergency department workers have been cancelled as a part of the preparedness for the possible cyclone,” he said.

Tarpaulin, dry food and medicines have also been adequately stocked in these districts, the official added.

For any emergency, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been asked to collaborate with the disaster management team of the Kolkata Police.

Mitigation measures in Odisha

Pramila Mallick, the minister of revenue and disaster management for Odisha, said all district and coastal region authorities have been told to be ready for anything.

When the system passes parallel to the state’s coast on Monday, it is likely to produce significant amounts of rainfall.

Mallick stated that members of the NDRF, ODRAF, and fire service department are prepared for any emergency.

When the cyclone moves away from the state’s coast at Dhamra Port in the Bhadrak district and toward the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) for Odisha PK Jena urged the populace not to panic. The storm is likely to be 200 km away from the state’s coast at that point.

“The Odisha government is in touch with the NDRF, Indian Navy and Coast Guard in view of the forecast. Odisha coast may experience maximum 50 to 60 kmph wind speed when the weather system crosses parallel to the state’s coast,” he said.

Movement of the cyclonic system

According to the IMD’s forecast, on 23 October the low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea is likely to move west-northwestward, concentrate into a depression, and then become a deep depression.

By 24 October, the system is expected to recurve northward, become more intense, and become a cyclonic storm over westcentral and adjacent east-central Bay of Bengal.

The Meteorological department predicted that it would then move north-northeastward and approach the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on 25 October while skirting the Odisha coast.

The Northeast, including south Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura, will receive rainfall on 24, 25 and 26 October under the impact of the system, it said.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea from October 23 until further notice.

(With inputs from PTI)