Cyclone Fani no more a threat to Bengal, weakens before entering Bangladesh

Cyclone 'Fani', which ravaged most parts of Odisha and left 12 people dead, poses no threat to West Bengal anymore, as it weakens further before entering neighbouring Bangladesh, a senior official said on Saturday.

As per forecast, there will be moderate to light rainfall, particularly in the districts adjacent to Bangladesh, but the weather condition in and around the city will normalise through the course of the day, Deputy Director General of the Regional Meteorological Centre here, Sanjib Bandyopadhyay told PTI.

"There is absolutely no threat from this system (cyclone Fani) to West Bengal. The very severe cyclonic storm had weakened into a severe cyclonic storm over Odisha coast before entering West Bengal," he said.

"Fani is likely to continue to move and further weaken in the next six hours. It is very likely to move to Bangladesh around noon as a deep depression," Bandyopadhyay said.

Light to moderate rain is likely in the districts adjacent to Kolkata, and clear skies are expected in the city by afternoon, the official said.

The West Bengal government had taken precautionary measures Friday in East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas districts, besides Howrah, Hooghly, Jhargram, Kolkata and the Sundarbans, in wake of the cyclonic storm.

'Fani' barrelled through Odisha on Friday, unleashing copious rain and windstorm that gusted up to 175 kmph, killing at least 12 people, blowing away thatched houses and swamping towns and villages.