Chennai: The cyclonic storm Amphan has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over central parts of South Bay of Bengal and it is very likely to intensify further in the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department said.

In a tweet, IMD said, “The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘AMPHAN’ (pronounced as UM-PUN) further intensified into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm over central parts of South Bay of Bengal, at 2:30 pm on 17 May. It is very likely to intensify further into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm during the next 24 hours.”

In a bulletin, IMD Bhubaneswar said that the severe cyclonic storm ‘AMPHAN’, over central parts of South Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, moved slowly northwards with a speed of 5 kmph during past six hours. It further intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and lay centred at 2:30 pm as of today over central parts of South Bay of Bengal.

“It is very likely to move nearly northwards slowly during the next 12 hours and then re-curve north-northeastwards and move fast across the northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during afternoon/evening of 20 May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,” it added.