Cyclone Sitrang is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm as it gathers pace over the Bay of Bengal and make a landfall in Bangladesh on Tuesday morning, the IMD said.
The deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone on Sunday evening and is very likely to gather further strength becoming a severe cyclonic storm on Monday with wind speed reaching 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.
The cyclone, named Sitrang by Thailand, cause heavy to very heavy rain in the coastal districts of West Bengal and isolated heavy rain in north coastal Odisha, as per the IMD.
Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Sitrang:
• At 3:17 am on Monday, the cyclonic storm was about 520 km south of Sagar Island and 670 km south-southwest of Barisal (Bangladesh), as per the IMD. It is likely “to move north-northeastwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hrs. To cross the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island & Sandwip,” it said.
• “Wind speeds of over 50 to 60 kmph and very heavy rain is likely over West Bengal coast during landfall, but more impact is likely over the Sundarban region, which is closer to the landfall point,” said Ananda Kumar Das, in-charge of the weather office’s cyclone monitoring division, as quoted in Hindustan Times.
• It is likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain in the coastal districts of West Bengal and isolated heavy rain in north coastal Odisha, the IMD said. Tidal waves of up to 5-6 metres are expected to inundate low lying areas of North and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal and coastal areas of Bangladesh at landfall, it said.
• Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and West Midnapore are likely to be affected by wind reaching speed of 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph on Tuesday, while it will be 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph on Monday in these districts, deputy director-general of the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata Sanjib Bandopadhyay told reporters on Sunday.
“The main affected area will be the Sunderbans in the coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal and in Bangladesh,” he said.
• Damage to property and infrastructure is likely in West Bengal due to heavy rain, accompanied by winds and high tidal waves. These are likely to cause damage to kutcha embankments and roads, disruption of power and communication lines and damage to kutcha houses.
• In Odisha, heavy rains are likely to lash certain places in the coastal districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Puri till 8.30 am on Monday. A yellow warning of heavy rainfall was issued for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, and Cuttack till Tuesday morning.
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