KOLKATA/GUWAHATI/SHILLONG/MIZORAM: Severe
Cyclone Remal
is set to strike the
Bengal-Bangladesh coast
between 11pm Sunday and 1am Monday. Kolkata is expected to bear the brunt from Sunday afternoon till Monday afternoon as the
storm
, with
wind speeds
of 70-80kmph, gusting up to 90kmph, is predicted, along with very
heavy rainfall
, amounting to 200mm.
Authorities at
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport
have decided to shut flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon as a measure of abundant caution. The shutdown will lead to the cancellation of 394 flights - 28 of them international - which will affect 63,000 passengers.
An official said airlines would refund them but if any passenger insisted on flying, the airlines would try to accommodate them on next available flights. Airport authorities decided on the shutdown apparently to avoid the situation on a Singapore Airlines flight, where one passenger died and several others were injured as the plane was rocked by severe turbulence.
"Met office has forecast winds of 93-111kmph in the approach path that could lead to severe turbulence and force suspension of operations," an airport official said. Even overflights - planes that fly between East and West over Kolkata airspace - are deviating by up to 240km to avoid strong swirling winds.
Around 5.30pm Saturday, the system intensified into a cyclonic storm over north and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal. It is predicted to make landfall between Khepupara and Sagar Island in Bengal around midnight, when the coastal areas of Bengal and Bangladesh are likely to see wind speeds of 110-120kmph, gusting up to 135kmph.
"Kolkata is likely to see most of the cyclone's impact in the 24 hours between Sunday and Monday afternoon. The first six hours from Sunday afternoon are crucial to determine the storm's impact," said Regional Meteorological Centre head of weather H R Biswas. Kolkata falls within the "high impact zone" of Cyclone Remal that could sail within 100km of the city after landfall, said an official. From Sunday afternoon, visibility is likely to drop to 50-200m. Met officials warned of the risk of losing electricity and communication links and damage to infrastructure in Kolkata and neighbouring south districts.
The northeast is also bracing for impact with the weather system likely to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to various parts of the seven states in the region. IMD has issued a warning of "squally wind speed reaching 50-60kmph and gusting up to 70kmph likely over Mizoram, Tripura and southern Manipur on Sunday and Monday, and wind speeds from 40kmph to 50kmph and gusting to 60kmph likely over south Assam and Meghalaya on Monday."
(With inputs from Subhro Niyogi, Aheli Banerjee, Prabin Kalita, Manosh Das and HC Vanlalruata)
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