Cyclone Remal to make landfall tonight at 135 kmph; Bengal, northeast and Bangladesh on high alert: 10 points

Cyclone Remal, a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal that intensified into a cyclonic storm, is expected to turn severe before making landfall between the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh on Sunday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday morning.

The cyclone will likely cross West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara with a wind speed of 110 to 120 kmph, gusting to 135 kmph, and make landfall on Sunday midnight.

According to the weather department, the cyclone is forecast to significantly impact West Bengal, coastal Bangladesh, Tripura, and some other parts of northeastern states with heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Here are latest updates on Cyclone Remal:

Cyclone Remal’s formation was initiated by a low-pressure system over the southwest and west-central Bay of Bengal.

The IMD has predicted that the cyclone will continue gaining strength, posing threats of heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges. The current warning for the cyclone is in effect until May 28; however, it may be extended if necessary, the IMD said.

The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and heavy to very heavy rainfall in north Odisha on May 26 and 27. Extremely heavy precipitation is also likely in Assam and Meghalaya, and heavy to very heavy rains in the other northeastern states, such as Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, on May 27 and 28.

Meanwhile, the weather department in Agartala has issued ‘orange’ alerts for Tripura from May 26 to 28, warning of thunderstorms with lightning and squally winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, along with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, which is very likely to occur across all districts of the state.

In its bulletin, the weather department has advised people to stay home and avoid going outside during the warning hours.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) inspector Zaheer Abbas on Saturday said its teams are fully prepared for the cyclone. “If the cyclone hits here, our soldiers are ready to deal with every kind of disaster…Our team is well-equipped. Our team is ready for tree-falling or flood rescue. We are ready to deal with every situation,” he told ANI.

In view of the cyclone, the Kolkata airport announced the suspension of flight operations for 21 hours starting Sunday. “In view of Cyclone Remal’s impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, a meeting was held with the stakeholders, and it has been decided to suspend the flight operations from 1200 IST on May 26 to 0900 IST on May 27, due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall at Kolkata,” the airport authority said in a statement.

Several local trains in the Sealdah and Howrah divisions that usually connect Kolkata and Howrah with the adjoining districts have also been cancelled. The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata has said it would suspend all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening.

West Bengal officials started evacuating people from near the coast, low-lying areas, and vulnerable areas on Saturday.

Cyclone ‘Remal’ is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in this pre-monsoon season. According to a system of naming cyclones in the Indian Ocean region, ‘Remal’ means ‘sand’ in Arabic.