Cyclone With Winds Gusting To 110 Km/Hr Likely To Hit Bengal On Oct 25, Odisha On Alert: IMD

The system is very likely to recurve northwards subsequently and intensify into a cyclonic storm over westcentral and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal by October 24, the Met said.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday that a low-pressure system over the Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and hit the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts on October 25, causing wind gusts of up to 110 km/h.

According to the IMD's forecast, "the low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a depression, and then a deep depression, on October 23."

The system is very likely to recurve northwards subsequently and intensify into a cyclonic storm over westcentral and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal by October 24, the Met said.

"Thereafter, it is likely to move north-northeastwards and reach near West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts on October 25, skirting Odisha coast," the Met department said in its forecast.

The Northeast, including south Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura, will receive rainfall as a result of the system on October 24, 25, and 26. 

Fishermen are advised not to enter the sea after October 23 until further notice.

The cyclonic storm is expected to be named 'Sitrang,' as Thailand has suggested, news agency PTI reported. 

The system is expected to cause light to moderate rain in Gangetic West Bengal, with isolated heavy rain in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, according to Sanjib Bandopadhyay, deputy director-general of the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, PTI reported. 

He said that it is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Kolkata on October 24 and 25.

"Wind speed of 45 to 55 km gusting to 65 kmph will occur in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur on October 24, while on October 25, wind speed will reach 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Wind speed of 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph will occur in Kolkata and adjoining districts of Howrah and Hooghly, he said.

"It will not be a super cyclone and further movement of the system will be updated by the IMD in due course," Bandopadhyay stated.

Super cyclone Amphan, which ravaged the coastal districts of West Bengal in May 2020, had a wind speed of 185 kmph when it made landfall near Sundarban, officials said, PTI reported. 

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, reviewed the central and state governments' preparedness for the potential cyclonic storm.

According to a statement, the director general of the IMD briefed the NCMC on the current status of the weather system in the Bay of Bengal.

The chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands briefed the committee on the preparations being made to protect the people in the path of the cyclonic storm.

In reviewing the preparedness, Gauba emphasised the importance of authorities taking preventive and precautionary measures.

"The aim should be to keep the loss of lives at zero, and minimise damage to property and infrastructure such as power and telecom," he said.

The cabinet secretary assured the states and the Union Territory that all central agencies are prepared to assist.

In Kolkata, West Bengal's Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi chaired a high-level meeting with top state officials on the prevailing situation. He directed South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Hooghly districts to take necessary precautions in the wake of the forecast, PTI reported. 

An official said that all senior officers in these districts, as well as those in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Kolkata Police, had their leaves cancelled.

"Control rooms will be opened in these south Bengal districts, and those living in low-lying areas will be moved to safe shelters," he said.

Twenty teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 15 teams of the NDRF will be on standby.

Kolkata's Mayor Firhad Hakim said his team is ready to face any eventuality.

"All community halls have been asked to remain open. We will start using mikes to alert people. All pumping stations will be active to drain out accumulated water. We are also preparing cyclone shelters," he told PTI.

Another official stated that people living in dilapidated buildings in Kolkata have been asked to leave.

Pramila Mallick, Odisha's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, stated that all district and coastal region authorities have been directed to be prepared to deal with the emerging situation.

When the system crosses parallel to the state's coast on Monday, it is expected to bring heavy rain.

Mallick stated that personnel from the fire department, the ODRAF, and the NDRF are ready for any emergency situation.

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena appealed to the people not to panic as the cyclone is likely to be 200 km away from the state's coast at Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district when it will head towards West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts.

"The Odisha government is in touch with the NDRF, Indian Navy and Coast Guard in view of the forecast. Odisha coast may experience maximum 50 to 60 kmph wind speed when the weather system crosses parallel to the state's coast," quoted as saying by PTI. 

(With Inputs From PTI)