The Met office predicts that Cyclone Sitrang will probably make landfall in Bangladesh on Tuesday morning between two islands.
The two islands are Tin Kona, a part of Bangladesh’s Sunder bans, and Sandwip off the southeast coast of the Chittagong district.
Tin Kona Island is only about 200 kilometres from Sandwip, which is more than 500 km from Kolkata. The less impact on Kolkata is anticipated, the closer the landfall comes to Sandwip, said to a Met official. Around 1000 kilometres from Bengal’s southernmost tip, the system was a depression on Saturday over the east-central Bay of Bengal.
The coastal areas of south Bengal are anticipated to experience extensive rain on Monday and Tuesday as the storm heads towards Bangladesh. According to a Met official, the storm is most likely to have an impact on North and South 24-Parganas, the two districts that share the mangrove delta with Bangladesh.
We expect both districts to have significant rainfall on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday, respectively, it is also expected to rain heavily in East and West Midnapore and Nadia Both days are anticipated to see some light rain in Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly. According to a Met official, Joka and Behala, which are on the southern edge of Kolkata, may also experience severe rain, which is defined by the Met as 60mm or more of rain in 24 hours.
According to a Met official, Joka and Behala, which are on the southern edge of Kolkata, may also experience severe rain, which is defined by the Met as 60mm or more of rain in 24 hours.
On Monday, the North and South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore districts are predicted to have winds blowing at 45 to 55 kph with gusts reaching 65 kph. West Midnapore, Howrah, the Hooghly, and Calcutta are anticipated to see gusts of up to 50 kph.
In North and South 24-Parganas, the wind speed is expected to increase to 80–90 kph on Tuesday, with gusts as high as 100 kph. They predict East Midnapore to have winds up to 80 kmph.Hooghly, West Midnapore, Kolkata, and Howrah are predicted to have winds blowing at 50 kph with gusts reaching 60 kph.
Meteorological Department Kolkata statement
“The clouds in the outer band of the system are the first to reach land. The winds start hitting later. That is why more rain is expected on Monday and the intensity of the winds is likely to go up on Tuesday,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
“It is very likely to move northwestward and intensify further into a deep depression over east-central and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal by October 23 morning. Subsequently, it is very likely to recurve gradually north-northeastwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal by October 24 morning. Thereafter, it would continue to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast between Tin Kona Island and Sandwip around October 25 early morning,” said the bulletin.