By AP and published by Yahoo!News, and Thai Newsroom
New Delhi – India’s Kolkata airport will suspend flight operations from midnight Sunday (May 26) for 21 hours after a storm over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, airport authorities said.
The cyclonic storm is expected to cross Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal coasts around midnight Sunday, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.
It is expected to reach maximum wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), with gusts up to 135 kph (85 mph) hitting West Bengal’s Sagar Island and Bangladesh’s Khepupara region on Sunday night, the Indian agency said.
This is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ahead of this year’s monsoon season, which starts in June and ends in September.
Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in most places over coastal districts in West Bengal state. A storm surge about 1 metre (3.1 feet) high is expected to flood low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Such storms can uproot trees and cause major damage to thatched homes and power and communication lines, the statement said.
India’s coasts are often hit by cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.
Meanwhile the Thai Meologolitical Department forecast that during May 27-June 1 a moderate southwesterly monsoon will prevail across the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf. More rain is expected in the upper parts of the country with isolated heavy to very heavy showers.
Waves will be about two metres high in the upper Andaman Sea and higher than that during thunderstorms. Meanwhile one to two metres high waves will occur in lower Andaman Sea reaching higher than two metres during thunderstorms.
In the Gulf waves will be about one metre high rising to two metres during thunderstorms.
In addition the tropical cyclone “Remal” in the upper part of Bay of Bengal is expected to make landfall in Bangladesh during May 26-27 while a tropical storm “Ewiniar” in the middle of the Philippines is expected to move to the Pacific.
These storms do not directly affect Thailand’s weather.
CAPTION:
The Indian Meteorological Department said the well-marked low-pressure area concentrated into depression over the Central Bay of Bengal at 5.30 a.m. on Friday and is likely to move towards the northeast and intensify further into a cyclone over east-central BoB by Saturday morning — it would then be identified as Cyclone Remal. Image: @Indiametdept/x and published by Indian Express
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