Thundershowers to hit Bengal this week

Thundersqualls are likely to hit Gangetic West Bengal over the next two days owing to the effects of the cyclone which has been forecast off the Andhra Pradesh coast, Met officials said on Wednesday.

"The effects of the cyclone off Andhra Pradesh coast, due to a deep depression in west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal, will be felt in the state this week," the regional meteorological centre (RMC) said.

"Thundershowers are likely to occur over parts of Gangetic Bengal including places such as Bankura, South and North 24-Parganas," a Met official said.

Thundersqualls (wind speed between 50 to 60 km/hour) are very likely to occur at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha during the next 48 hours, according to an official bulletin by the regional Met office.

The Indian Meteorological Department has said the depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastward at a speed of 10 kmph during the past six hours, intensified into a deep depression and lay centred over west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday morning, about 170 km south-southeast of Nellore.

--IANS

sgh/lok/rn/bg