Remal, the first pre-monsoon cyclone, is likely to form over the East-Central Bay of Bengal by the morning of Saturday, May 25, and will change into a severe hurricane within the next couple of days. Presently it is positioned as a low-pressure region over the West Central and South Bay of Bengal. It is to move North-East from there gradually.
“The real effect will be felt between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon” claims Somenath Dutta, deputy director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
Reports and Cautions issued against the Remal Cyclone
Wind speeds can reach over the mark of 100 kmph (nearly 102 kmph) on Sunday due to the upcoming hurricane. Some reports claimed that wind speed may reach 110kmph to 120kmph with wind gusts up to 135kmph. Effects of this cyclone will include rough seas and heavy rain in South Kolkata and the Coastal areas of Bangladesh. The Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) has announced heavy rain alerts for the coastal regions of Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram, and south Manipur for the days of May 26 and May 27. Kolkata, Howrah, and Hoogly will get very heavy rain(12cm+) whilst the coastal areas of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, and East Midnapore are likely to get extremely heavy rain(20cm+).
The wind speed determines a Cyclone’s intensity. “By that comparison, Remal is more comparable with Aila” said H.R. Biswas, Head of the Weather Section at the regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata.
The IMD in its latest report has stated that the Remal low-pressure area that has formed in the South Bay of Bengal may intensify into a depression reaching wind speeds of 40-50 kmph on May 24 morning. It may further transform into a deep depression with wind speeds reaching 50-60 kmph on the same day and become a dangerous storm of wind speeds in the range of 60-70 kmph on the following morning of May 25.
The Air Office has cautioned the fishermen with a ban from venturing to sea from Friday, April 24 to Monday, April 27 until the effects of the storm subside. Check the latest posts here.
Air Officials said that flights will remain suspended between Sunday noon and Monday 9 a.m.
Railways have canceled a considerable amount of trainees linking Kolkata with North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas. Trains routing the Sealdah South section and linking Barasat-Hasnabad have been suspended from 11 p.m. on Sunday to 6 a.m. on Monday.
On Saturday, the KMC started alerting residents of dilapidated buildings to move to shelters opened by the civic body in anticipation of Cyclone Remal – Telegraph India.
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