Cyclone Fani to become ‘severe’ when it hits Kolkata, says Met office

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Updated: May 09, 2020 20:54 IST

The extremely severe Cyclone Fani will weaken into a severe cyclonic storm by the time it hits West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department in Kolkata said on Friday.

Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest storms to come off the Indian Ocean in recent years, made landfall in Odisha’s Puri earlier on Friday and two people were reported to have been killed as it barrelled into the state.

“The storm has already lost some severity and has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. By the time it enters Bengal and hits Kolkata it will become a severe cyclonic storm,” IMD Kolkata’s deputy director Sanjib Bandyopadhyay said.

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The wind speed will be between 90-110/115 km per hour when it enters West Bengal towards Friday evening, Bandyopadhyay said.

In the afternoon, the storm lay 370km southwest of Kolkata. “It is expected to enter Bengal at a speed of 90-115km per hour,” said Bandyopadhyay.

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In Kolkata, the maximum impact will be felt between “late midnight and early morning of Saturday”, said the met office head in Kolkata.

Bandyopadhyay also said that on May 4, when Cyclone Fani moves into Bangladesh, it will be a cyclonic storm.