PremiumSitrang, which is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, will bring in its wake very heavy rain and wind reaching speed gusting to 110 kmph
Cyclone Sitrang is expected to make a landfall between Tinkona island and Sandwip in Bangladesh early on October 25, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
Sitrang, which is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, will bring in its wake heavy to very heavy rain and wind reaching speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph, in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore on Monday, the weather office said.
Torrential rain, accompanied by wind gusting up to 100 kmph and high tidal waves, may damage kutcha embankments and roads and disrupt power and communication lines in the region.
The deputy director general of the regional meteorological centre in Kolkata, Sanjib Bandopadhyay, has said that the breach of kutcha embankments, owing to the storm surge accompanied by high astronomical tide on new moon, may lead to sea water inundation of low-lying areas.
Tidal waves are likely to reach a height of six metres owing to the twin effect of the weather system and astronomical tide.
Odisha:
Light to moderate rainfall at many places is likely over north coastal Odisha on 24 October with possibility of isolated heavy rainfall over Vadrak and Balasore districts.
West Bengal:
Light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over coastal districts of West Bengal (South & North Parganas, East Medinipur & adjoining areas of West Medinipur) on 24 October. Light to moderate rainfall at many with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over coastal districts (South & North Parganas and Nadia) of West Bengal on 25 October.
Northeastern States:
-Moderate rainfall to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at over North Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur today
-Extremely heavy rainfall likely to occur over South Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura on 24 October.
-Moderate rainfall to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura on 25 October and isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, northeast Assam and Nagaland on 26 October.
The southern districts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, woke up to light rain and an overcast sky on Monday as cyclone 'Sitrang' moved towards north Bay of Bengal, raising the likelihood of a downpour during the day and threatening to dampen Diwali festivities.
It lay centred around 430 km south of Sagar Island on Monday morning, the department said. It will trigger heavy to very heavy rain in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, it said.
Kolkata and the adjoining districts of Howrah and Hooghly are set to experience moderate to heavy rainfall on Monday, the Met said.
The widespread rain, expected later in the day, is likely to cast a shadow on Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations in the state.
Stay safe!