Cyclone Sitrang forms in Bay of Bengal, will intensify into ‘severe’ cyclone tomorrow

On Sunday, the system in the Bay of Bengal intensified in two stages — from the prevailing depression first into a deep depression (wind speed 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph) and later into the cyclone. At 5.30 pm on Sunday, Cyclone Sitrang was located 730 km northwest of Port Blair, 580 km south of West Bengal’s Sagar Island and 740 km south-southwest of Barisal in Bangladesh.

“The cyclone will intensify into a ‘severe’ cyclone by Monday morning. It will continue to move northwestwards and cross the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandwip close to Barisal around early morning of October 25,” stated the IMD’s storm-related bulletin.

Coastal Odisha and West Bengal will experience squally wind conditions and heavy rainfall mainly on Monday and Tuesday.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall will lash southern Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura on Monday and Tuesday whereas rainfall will continue over northeast Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh on October 26, IMD officials said.