Cyclone Asani effect: Rain batters Kolkata and adjoining districts – The Indian Express

“Thunderstorm with lightning and light to moderate rainfall likely to affect over some parts of Hooghly and West Midnapur districts of West Bengal during next 2-3 hours from 09:45 hours IST of today 09.05.2022.  People are advised to stay in a safe place during thunderstorm activity,” a statement from the Regional Meteorological Department read.

The districts of North 24 Parganas, parts of South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and East Medinipur district also witnessed heavy rainfall.

“The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Asani’ (pronounced as Asani) over Southeast and adjoining  Westcentral Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 21 kmph during past 06 hours and lay centered at 0230 hours IST of today, the 09th May, over Southeast and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal, near latitude 13.3°N and longitude 87.2°E, about 760 km west-northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands), 620 km west-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 640 km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 740 km south-southeast of Puri (Odisha),” the statement added.

According to experts, the storm is likely to move northwestwards till May 10 and reach westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, off the North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. Thereafter, it will move north-northeastwards and towards Northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast.

Meanwhile, two tourists, including one from Kolkata, drowned in the sea at Mandarmani, which is about 200 km from the city, on Sunday. The police claimed that the tourists had gone too far into the sea. The deceased have been identified as Sarim Sarfroz (23) of Park Circus in Kolkata and Srishti Gupta (22) of Jharkhand, the police added. The district administration has already sent out a warning to the tourists of Mandarmani, Digha and other coastal areas to restrict them from venturing out into the sea.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also postponed her administrative meetings in view of the advancing cyclonic storm. Banerjee, who was scheduled to visit Midnapore and Jhargram between May 10 and 12, has postponed her meetings to May 17-19.