Bhubaneswar: The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ on Saturday.
According to a
n evening bulletin by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression which had remained practically stationary during last six hours, rapidly intensified into the cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ (pronounced as um-pun) and lay centred over the same region, about 1040 km south of Paradip (Odisha), 1200 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 1300 km south-south-west of Khepupara (Bangladesh).
It is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and then into a very severe cyclonic storm by the midnight of May 18. It is very likely to move north-north-westwards initially till May 17 and then re-curve north-north-eastwards across the northwest Bay of Bengal towards West Bengal and adjoining Odisha coasts between May 18 and 20.