The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Sunday that the severe cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ has intensified. Landfall is expected within the next two to three hours.
IMD noted that the cyclone is poised to strike the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh around midnight.
‘Remal,’ which translates to “sand” in Arabic, marks the season’s first pre-monsoon cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Oman selected the name as part of the regional system for naming cyclones in the north Indian Ocean.
Forecasters expect extremely heavy rainfall in West Bengal’s coastal districts and north Odisha on May 26 and 27.
The cyclone will also bring similar weather to parts of northeast India on May 27 and 28.
As ‘Remal’ drew closer this morning, cloudy skies covered areas like Sagar Islands, Namkhana, and Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. The nearby regions experienced rain accompanied by light gusty winds.
