Cyclone could spare city, move towards Andhra-Odisha coast

HT, 26 Oct 2016, Kolkata: Meteorologists have good news for Kolkatans. The possibility of a washout or heavy rain being triggered by Cyclone Kyant on Diwali day, similar to what Kolkatans faced on Nabami, gradually seems to be fading.

Mets are also hopeful that soon after the system fades by mid-next week, the northerly winds would start blowing over Kolkata resulting in a dip in the mercury level. These winds usually bring the chill from north India. Over the past few days their passage had been blocked because of the depression over Bay of Bengal.

“Cyclone Kyant was seen inching closer more towards the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha border instead of the Bengal–Odisha border on Tuesday. On Saturday and Sunday we expect the sky over Kolkata to remain partly cloudy and there are chances of a thundershower. It won’t be a washout though,” said a senior official of the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regional office in Kolkata.

An Indian private weather forecasting agency had earlier predicted that the cyclone could hit north Odisha sometime later this week raising fears that there could be heavy rain in Kolkata on Diwali day.

Earlier this month a cyclonic circulation triggered heavy rain on Nabami night during Durga Puja. While smart showers lashed the city on all Puja days, the cyclonic circulation resulted in a complete washout on Nabami evening.

Experts at IMD’s cyclone warning division, who are tracking the cyclone round the clock, said the system was located about 680 km south-southeast of Gopalpur and 815 km east of Vishakhapatnam at around 11.30 am on Tuesday.

“The cyclone is sucking up moisture and heat from the sea surface and is gathering more strength. It would move southwestwards towards west-central region of the Bay of Bengal (close to the Andhra Pradesh– Odsiha coast) in the next 72 hours,” said M Mohapatra, head of the IMD’s cyclone warning division.

Meteorologists have divided the Bay of Bengal into around eight imaginary quadrants. While the northwest quadrant is closer to the West Bengal– Odisha coast, the west-central area is closer to the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha coast. The cyclone on Tuesday was spotted over the east-central region of the Bay which is closer to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands– Myanmar coast.

Met officials are, however, hopeful that Kyant will not pack as much intensity and punch as did its predecessors such as Phailin and Hudhud. The cyclone would, however, trigger heavy rains and gusty winds speeding up to 100 km an hour in the coastal areas from Thursday. Fishermen have already been warned not to venture out into the sea.

The cyclone has been named Kyant which means crocodile in Mon language that is spoken by Mon people living in Myanmar and Thailand.

Experts said this is the postmonsoon cyclone period and such developments are common. Cyclone Phailin and Hudhud battered the Odisha coast during the post-monsoon period in 2013 and 2014 respectively.