As cyclone Remal moves towards West Bengal from the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of a cyclonic storm over West Bengal coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara by midnight today with a wind speed of 110-120 gusting to 135 kmph.

IMD has predicted, “light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places is likely over coastal districts of West Bengal and eastern districts of Gangetic West Bengal adjacent to Bangladesh on May 26-27, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over these districts on May 26”.

On May 27-28, light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places was predicted by IMD over eastern districts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal.

The bad weather also prompted Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to suspend flight operations today, beginning at midnight on May 26 till 9 am on May 27.

Bihar Met Department also issued an alert as cyclone Remal is expected to hit the coastal areas of West Bengal today. At present, cyclone Remal is passing through the central part of the Bay of Bengal. 

“A deep pressure is forming over the eastern central region of the Bay of Bengal which is located about 440 km in the south-east direction of West Bengal. This deep depression turned into a cyclonic storm on May 25 which will pass through the coast of West Bengal on May 26,” an official at the Met department said.

(with inputs from IANS)