RMC issues heavy rain warning in 10 districts of West Bengal

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) of Kolkata on Saturday issued a heavy rainfall warning for around 10 districts of West Bengal ahead of the approaching storm.

"Yesterday's (Friday) deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 13 kmph. It is very likely to intensify further into a Cyclonic Storm during the next 24 hours and into a Severe Cyclonic Storm in subsequent 24 hours," RMC Kolkata said in a statement.

The storm lay centred about 440 km east-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 690 km southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 890 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

Ahead of the approaching storm, the weathermen predicted rainfall at many places with heavy rain at one or two places likely over East and West Midnapur, Jhargram, Bankura, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts of West Bengal on December 17.

On December 18, North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Burdwan, Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts of West Bengal are likely to get heavy rainfall.

Fishermen are warned not to venture into the sea from Saturday evening.