Alert for heavy rain as cyclone brews over Bay of Bengal, landfall area not clear yet
Telegraph | 21 October 2024
Another cyclone is brewing over the Bay of Bengal.
What was a cyclonic circulation over the north Andaman Sea on Sunday morning is tipped to intensify into a cyclonic storm that is to barrel towards the Odisha-Bengal coastline by the morning of October 24, a Met bulletin said.
The possible landfall area of the cyclone is not clear yet, Met officials said. But under the impact of the system, heavy rain is expected in south Bengal between October 23 and 25.
“The system is under continuous surveillance. Once the low-pressure area takes shape, we will be in a better position to predict its path and possible area of landfall. As of now, if it does not veer away towards Bangladesh, the storm is likely to move towards the Odisha-Bengal coastline,” said H.R. Biswas, the head of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore.
A Met bulletin issued on Sunday afternoon said: “Yesterday’s cyclonic circulation over central Andaman Sea lay over north Andaman Sea in the early morning (5.30am) and persisted over the same region in the forenoon (8.30am) on October 20. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is very likely to form over the east central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea during next 24 hours.”
“It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over east central Bay of Bengal,” the bulletin said.
“Thereafter, it is very likely to move northwestwards and reach north west Bay of Bengal off Odisha-West Bengal coasts by October 24 morning. Under its influence, light to moderate rainfall at many places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall activity likely to occur over south Bengal between October 23 and 25.”
Once the system turns into a cyclone, it will be called Dana, an Arabic name given by Qatar.
The Odisha-Bengal coastline is likely to be battered by strong gusts of wind from the evening of October 23. The wind speed is expected to go up as the system nears land. Between the night of October 24 and the morning of October 25, the gusts are expected to clock up to 120kmph.
The Met office has called for a “total suspension of fishing operations during October 22 and 25 over central and north Bay of Bengal”.