After claiming eight lives in India and leaving a train of destruction, Cyclone Fani entered into Bangladesh on Saturday. One of the biggest cyclones to hit the Indian subcontinent in years, Fani is to stay over Bangladesh till afternoon, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

“The sky over the capital will remain cloudy to overcast and thundershowers will occur over the area,” The Daily Star quoted Arif Hosen, meteorologist at the BMD, as saying.

The weather forecast for Dhaka on the BMD website said the temperature in the capital might fall to as low as 24.5 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, when an extremely severe Cyclone Fani battered Odisha and neighbouring states including West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, heavy rain was reported from Bangladesh too, with Dhaka recording 60 mm.

AFP reported that nine people died in Bangladesh even before the eye of the cyclonic storm rumbled over the border on Saturday.

Fani crossed over Gangetic West Bengal early morning, and entered Bangladesh after weakening into a cyclonic storm located over Dhaka-Faridpur region at 9 am, said a Met Office bulletin in Bangladesh.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 54 km of the storm centre is about 62 kmph, rising to 88 kmph, in gusts or squalls, according to the forecast, which also said sea would remain very rough.

Media reports said Mongla and Payra ports had been advised to keep danger signal number 7 hoisted, covering coastal districts of Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali, Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars.

The Chattogram maritime port has been asked to keep danger signal number 6 hoisted, while Cox’s Bazar port has been advised to keep hoisted local warning signal number 4.

Under the influence of Fani, coupled with the new moon phase, the low-lying areas of Chattogram, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated, The Daily Star reported.

All fishing boats and trawlers over north bay and deep sea have been asked to remain in shelter till further notice.