More rain in next 3 days, weather likely to improve before Puja ... TITLI

MP | 11 October 2018 | Kolkata: Various South Bengal districts and 3 North Bengal districts will receive heavy rainfall in the next three days, the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore said on Wednesday. The only silver lining for the Puja revellers in the state, however, is that the condition will improve from October 14, as predicted by the weather office.

A senior official at the Alipore Met office said the cyclonic storm 'Titli', which is currently situated 240 km South-South East of Gopalpur, will hit Gopalpur in Odisha and Kalingapattam in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday morning at a speed of around 140 km per hour. The storm will then move towards the Gangetic plain of Bengal and it will be weaker after entering Bengal. Odisha government has also taken necessary arrangements to combat the situation. Alerts have been issued to the coastal districts of Odisha.

The district administrations of East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas have already taken adequate measures to combat the situation. Visitors were not allowed to go to the sea in Digha on Wednesday as the sea had been swelling and the waves were continuously rising above the normal level.

The police administration in Digha put up barricades at various places along the beach which normally see huge footfall. Police conducted awareness campaigns by using microphones at Digha, Mandarmani and other beach towns, alerting the visitors not to bathe in the rough sea.

According to the East Midnapore district administration, out of around 2,000 fishing trawlers which had set sail a few days ago, as many as 1,800 have already returned, while the rest are currently 150-200 nautical miles away from the sea shore. It is presumed that the fishing trawlers which are out in the sea will return within Thursday. It may be mentioned here that the state government had already issued an alert to the coastal districts, asking the fishermen not to voyage into the sea between October 10-14 as the sea will remain turbulent during this period.

The depression that has formed over Bay-of-Bengal will intensify further, resulting in heavy rain in some districts in the next three days. According to the prediction of the weather office, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next three days.

Other South Bengal districts like Murshidabad, Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah and Kolkata will witness moderate to heavy

rain during the period. Some of the North Bengal districts like Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur may also see heavy rainfall.

"As per the available information, it is expected that there will be no rain in the city from October 15-19. There might be sunny weather during the Puja days. The condition will improve from 14 October," a senior weather official said.

It started raining in various districts of South Bengal, including the city, from Wednesday afternoon. The traffic movement in various parts remained slow on Wednesday, following the rain. A strong wind measuring around 60-80 km per hour may sweep through the South Bengal districts on late Wednesday night.

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KalimNews: Inputs from weather stations and analysts: This is the 5th warning issued by JTWC on the storm and each time the forecast track has changed. This time there r major changes:- a. The storm is all set to intensify into a Very Severe Cyclone and b. It may just stay put around Odisha and AP.

As per latest sources, Cyclone Titli has made a landfall in Odisha coast of Gopalpur; current wind speed of the cyclone reportedly gusting to 130-140 kmph. 

At 5 am today landfall process is continuing; 126 kmph surface wind lashing Odisha coast of Gopalpur. Reported of many trees down and electric poles too.