Cyclone ‘Sitrang’ over the East-Central and adjoining West-Central and North-West Bay of Bengal was located about 810 km North-North-West of Port Blair; 430 km South of Sagar Island; and 580 km South-South-West of Barisal (Bangladesh) this (Monday) morning, and is now predicted to intensify another round as a severe cyclone before approaching the Bangladesh coast for a landfall.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) suggested in an update that ‘Sitrang’ may already have executed the recurving maneuver , and may continue to move to the North-North-East as it intensifies during the rest of the day on Monday and into the night and cross the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandwip close to Barisal early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.
Gale winds warned
Gale winds with speeds reaching 70-80 km/hr and gusting to 90 km/hr ph were prevailing around the cyclone over on Monday morning. It would accelerate to 80-90 km/hr gusting to 100 km/hr as it enters the North Bay during the morning itself.
It would further increase to 90-100 km/hr and gusting to 110 km/hr from the evening till Tuesday morning as it crosses the Bangladesh coast.
Towards the Indian side, squally winds with speeds reaching 40-50 km/hr gusting to 60 km/hr were prevailing along and off the Odisha and West Bengal coasts on Monday morning.
The wind speed will increase to 60-80 km/hr and gusting to 90 km/hr along and off the West Bengal coast and 50-60 km/hr and gusting to 70 km/hr along and off the North Odisha coast from the evening hours.
Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr is likely over Mizoram and Tripura.
Stormy over Odisha, Bengal coasts
Light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rain has been forecast at many places over the coastal districts of Odisha on Monday while it would be isolated heavy over the North Coastal districts on Tuesday.
Over West Bengal, it would be light to moderate at most places and isolated heavy to very heavy over the South and North Parganas and East and adjoining West Medinipur on Monday.
Light to moderate rainfall is likely at many with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over South and North Parganas and Nadia on Tuesday.
Extreme heavy for North-East
As for the North-Eastern States, it will be light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over North Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.
It will be heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over South Assam, East Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
Light to moderate is likely rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Tuesday and isolated heavy over Arunachal Pradesh, North-East Assam and Nagaland.