Kolkata. The ‘low pressure system’ over the Bay of Bengal has turned into a cyclonic storm. It has been named ‘Remal’. On Saturday evening, the Indian Meteorological Institute said that this storm could hit the coast between Sagar Island of West Bengal and Khepupara of Bangladesh late on Sunday night. Remal is the first cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal before the arrival of the monsoon.
The India Meteorological Department said at 7:50 pm on Saturday that a deep depression has formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal. The center of this cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ is about 360 km south-southeast of Khepupara and 350 km south-southeast of Sagar Island. The IMD said that the storm is expected to intensify further and turn into a severe cyclonic storm by Sunday morning.
According to the IMD, it is expected to cross the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh between Sagar Island and Khepupara on Sunday midnight with wind speeds of 110 to 120 kmph. There is a warning of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and North Odisha on 26-27 May. Apart from this, extremely heavy rainfall is also expected in some parts of North-East India on 27-28 May.
The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea in the northern Bay of Bengal till the morning of 27 May. A red alert has been issued for May 26-27 in coastal districts of West Bengal like South and North 24 Parganas, where extremely heavy rains are expected in some areas.
Apart from this, an orange alert has been issued for 26-27 May in Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia and Purba Medinipur districts, where strong winds of 80 to 90 kmph are expected. Kolkata airport officials have decided to suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday afternoon in view of the possible impact of cyclone Remal.
A spokesperson of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told PTI that a total of 394 arriving and departing flights in both international and domestic sectors will not operate to and from the airport during the flight suspension period. Apart from this, coastal districts like Balasore, Bhadrak and Kendrapara in northern Odisha are expected to receive heavy rains on May 26-27, while heavy rains are expected in Mayurbhanj on May 27.
The IMD has warned of localised flooding and significant damage to vulnerable structures, power and communication lines, kutcha roads, crops and orchards in the South and North 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal. People in the affected areas have been advised to remain indoors.
Tags: cyclone update, west bengal
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 25, 2024, 23:58 IST