Cyclone Sitrang Live Updates: Cyclone over Bay of Bengal to mainly impact Sunderbans, heavy rain forecast for Bengal

The deep depression over central Bay of Bengal (BoB) is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Sunday evening and after changing course in a northeastward direction from northwest, the system will reach north BoB before making landfall between Tinkona Island and Sandwip close to Bangladesh's Barisal in the early morning of Tuesday, a top official said.

Cyclone over Bay of Bengal to mainly impact Sunderbans, heavy rain forecast for Bengal

It advised suspension of ferry services in Sunderbans and waterbound tourist activities at seaside resort towns of Digha, Mandarmoni, Shankarpur, Bakkhali and Sagar on Monday and Tuesday.

The weather office also said wind speed over sea areas will reach 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph in north Bay of Bengal, asking fishermen not to venture into the sea.

A Kolkata Municipal Corporation official said it has initiated steps to tackle any situation that may emerge owing to the impending cyclone in the metropolis, including keeping all pumping stations active and making arrangements for shifting residents from dilapidated buildings to local schools or community halls.

The system is likely to bring in its wake winds reaching speeds of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph in coastal North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, while speeds of 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph could be experienced on Monday in these districts along with East Midnapore, IMD bulletin said.

Kolkata and the neighbouring districts of Howrah and Hooghly could receive light to moderate showers between Monday and Tuesday afternoon.

Cyclone Sitrang is set to hit the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandweep early on Tuesday morning with a wind speed of 80-100kmph and could be preceded by heavy rain along the south Bengal coast from Monday afternoon.

‘Cyclone Sitrang unlikely to impact weather in Bihar’

Sitrang to intensify into cyclonic storm on October 24

A bulletin issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said that the impending cyclone lay as a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal, close to west of Andaman Islands on Saturday morning.