The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said that the low pressure prevailing over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression (wind speeds between 40 km/hr and 50 km/hr — gusting to 60 km/hr). This storm, which is expected to turn into a cyclone in the "severe" category — to be called as 'Sitrang' — with wind speeds of 90-100 km/hr on Monday (October 24), will move towards Bangladesh and cross near Tinkona Island and Sandwip early Tuesday (October 25) morning. On Saturday evening, the depression was located over eastcentral Bay of Bengal, 370 km northwest of Port Blair, 860 km south-southeast of West Bengal's Sagar Island, and 940 km south of Bangladesh's Barisal. Coastal districts of Odisha and West Bengal will receive widespread heavy rainfall till Tuesday, with moderate to heavy rainfall likely over southern Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura on Monday, the IMD said. Further, extremely heavy rainfall will lash Tripura and Mizoram on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rough sea conditions with squally wind speeds ranging between 45 km/hr and 55 km/hr — gusting to 65 km/hr — would prevail off Odisha and West Bengal coasts on Monday. As the storm inches closer, maximum packing wind speeds of 90-100 km/hr is likely to cross off the Bangladesh coast. Wind speeds between 80 km/hr and 90 km/hr — gusting to 100 km/hr — would prevail along and off North and South 24 Pargana districts, and wind speeds around 80 km/hr are expected around Medinipur district of West Bengal on Tuesday. Entire Mizoram, and Tripura along with Balasore district in Odisha will experience squally wind with speeds between 60 km/hr and 70 km/hr — gusting to 80km/hr — on Tuesday, the IMD has said.
