Bhubaneswar, May 03, 2023, IANS

Bhubaneswar, May 3 (IANS): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said that there is a possibility of the formation of a cyclone over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) around May 9.

A cyclonic circulation will form over southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6, which will convert into a low pressure area over the same region on May 7. The system is likely to concentrate into a depression on the next day, the IMD said.

"Thereafter, there is a good possibility of its intensification while moving nearly northwards towards central Bay of Bengal," it said.

However, the IMD has not yet predicted its intensity, path and impact on Odisha coast.

Director General (DG) of IMD, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that there is consensus over the formation of a low pressure and its intensification into a cyclone by May 9.

"We have not specified its path and intensity and the area over the land where it is likely to hit. Once the low pressure is formed, we will provide detailed predictions regarding landfall and its intensity," said Mohapatra, adding, "As of now, there is no such forecast for landfall over Indian coast."

Initially, there will be squally weather and hence the fishermen should not venture into the southeast Bay of Bengal from May 7 onwards, he advised.

The DG made it clear that no alert has been issued for the Odisha coast and there is no forecast about the likely impact of the system on Odisha.

Mohapatra urged people not to panic about a possible cyclone but remain prepared to face any eventuality.

The last summer cyclonic storm 'Fani' had made landfall over the Odisha coast near Puri on May 3, 2019. It had caused wide-spread devastation in coastal Odisha including capital Bhubaneswar.