Kolkata, Nov 27 (IANS) The Met office on Thursday said temperatures across south Bengal are likely to rise over the next few days due to a fresh depression over the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm.

The development will temporarily stall the winter chill that had begun to settle over Kolkata and its neighbouring districts.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Alipore, a deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to strengthen into a cyclonic storm within the next 12 hours. Once it intensifies further, it will be named Cyclone Ditwah, a name given by Yemen.

According to the Met Office, the weather system originated as a well-marked low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal and nearby regions of southeast Sri Lanka and the equatorial Indian Ocean. It intensified into a depression late on Wednesday at 11.30 p.m. Moving north-northwest at around 8 kmph, it strengthened further into a deep depression by 5.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Although the system will not have any direct impact on the weather system of West Bengal, the change in weather conditions over the Bay of Bengal will, however, make an indirect impact.

“As a result, the temperature may shoot up 2 to 3 degrees Celsius across South Bengal. The winter chill, which began to set in, will be obstructed as the temperature goes up. However, once the system clears, there will be a sharp dip in the temperature in South Bengal. The weather will change after December 1 as the full impact of winter will be felt across Bengal,” said a met department official.

According to the Met Office, after turning into a cyclonic storm, the system is expected to move towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts over the subsequent 48 hours.

Under its influence, Tamil Nadu is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain from November 27 to December 1.

–IANS

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