Cyclone Bulbul updates: The next 24 hours will be crucial for West Bengal and Bangladesh as cyclonic storm Bulbul is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm moving towards the region. The latest weather update from India Meteorological Department said the Cyclone Bulbul, which is moving at a speed of 7 kmph, is likely to skip Odisha and move ahead towards West Bengal and Bangladesh.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that the department is tracking the direction of the cyclonic storm to ascertain the exact landfall location. The cyclone is very likely to move north-northwestwards towards West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts. It may spare Odisha, Mohapatra added.
Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre director HR Biswas told news agency PTI that Bulbul was currently centered over east-central Bay of Bengal, about 730 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha and 830 km south-southeast of Sagar Islands in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has put relief and rescue teams on alert to tackle the situation. Despite the weather department predicting that Cyclone Bulbul will skirt the state, the region is likely to witness heavy rainfall in the next couple of days.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture out in the rough sea till further notice.
Odisha witnessed widescale destruction in May this year when Cyclone Fani ripped through the coastal regions of the state. Over 60 people were killed and lakhs of houses were destroyed in the severe storm.