In what came as a relief for West Bengal, the dreaded Cyclone Sitrang crossed the Bangladesh coast near Barisal after barely skirting the state coastline, the IMD said on Tuesday.
After a damp Kali Puja/Diwali evening which saw heavy spells of rain and high-speed gusts of wind in several parts if the state including the capital city Kolkata, the weather in the southern districts of the state is likely to improve from forenoon, as per predictions made by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Sitrang moves toward Bangladesh
Sitrang, named by Thailand, made landfall between Tinkona Island and Sandwip near Barisal in Bangladesh between 9.30 pm and 11.30 pm on Monday with a sustained wind speed of 80 to 90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph.
The system, which moved towards Bangladesh from north Bay of Bengal at a speed of 56 kmph caused moderate to heavy rain and squally weather in West Bengal's coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur, dampening festive spirits on Deepavali and Kali Puja.
In Bangladesh, the cyclonic disturbance caused heavy rain in southeastern parts. It is very likely to weaken into a depression and then into a low pressure by Tuesday evening.
The weather office warned of squally wind with speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph along and off West Bengal coast on Tuesday morning, which will decrease gradually to 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph by forenoon.
Damp Kali Puja in Kolkata
Even as the changing course of the storm spared many in West Bengal from another harrowing flood season such as the ones that followed cyclones like Amphan and Fani, Kolkata streets wore an uncharacteristic look of desertion on Diwali as the city remained devoid of the usual throng of pandal hoppers and revellers. Intermittent showers and wind storms kept residents indoors.
The West Bengal government had advised people take necessary precautions in view of the weather forecast.
(With inputs from PTI)
