The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that the low-pressure area over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday.
According to the IMD, the low-pressure area has become a well-marked low-pressure area on Tuesday morning. It is very likely to intensify into a depression by Tuesday evening over the same region.
It will further intensify into Cyclone Mocha on Wednesday. It is likely to move initially northwestwards till Friday morning and thereafter towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coasts, the IMD said.
The details of the landfall could be available by Tuesday and Cyclone Mocha can have wind speeds of 130 mph.
Though there is no possibility of north Bengal districts coming under the influence of the cyclone, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured people that necessary precautionary measures have been taken.
"There is no reason to panic about Cyclone Mocha... it may not make a landfall in West Bengal. But the coastal areas of the state have been asked to remain cautious. Alerts have been issued in Sunderbans and Digha on May 10 and 11 as a precautionary measure," she said.
The Alipore Meteorological Department too said there was no chance of the cyclone making landfall in the district. "On May 11, Cyclone Mocha will move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast. However, keeping in mind the safety of the people of the state, we have set up control rooms at the secretariat as well as in several districts," she said.
Fishermen have also been asked not to venture into the sea.
However, the state will experience a heatwave in southern parts, including Kolkata, due to the warm north-westerly winds as an indirect influence of cyclone Mocha.
Senior weather official Sourish Banerjee from IMD Kolkata told reporters that Bengal will experience the heatwave from Wednesday. Southern districts of the state will record temperatures around 40-42 degrees Celcius between Tuesday to Thursday, he added.
Not just Bengal, but even Odisha is experiencing hot and sultry weather, which is likely to continue for four more days.
Regional Meteorology Centre, Bhubaneswar Director H R Biswas said that most parts of the state are likely to experience heatwave during the next two days with no large charge thereafter.
Temperatures may rise two to three degrees Celsius above normal and the mercury will touch above 40 degrees Celsius or more at a few places during the next four to five days. "Odisha is likely to experience hot and discomfort weather during this period. People are advised to take precautionary measures while going outside," Biswas said.