Severe cyclonic storm 'Remal' weakens into cyclonic storm, more rain likely in several Bengal districts

Flights services from the Calcutta airport resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended for 21 hours in view of the cyclone Remal, an official said on Monday

An NDRF personnel removes an uprooted tree from a road after the landfall of Cyclone 'Remal', in South 24 Parganas district.: File

PTI, Calcutta, 27.05.24 :  Severe cyclonic storm 'Remal' weakened into a cyclonic storm on Monday morning, sustaining wind speeds of 80-90 kilometres per hour, following landfall around midnight of Sunday, the Met Department said.

The weather system, which lay 150 km northeast of Sagar Island at 5.30 am, brought torrential rain in Calcutta and the coastal districts of West Bengal overnight, it said.

It is likely to move northeastwards and weaken further, the department said in a bulletin.

Calcutta recorded a rainfall of 146 mm in the period between 8.30 am on Sunday and 5.30 am of Monday, it said.

The metropolis logged a maximum wind speed of 74 kmph, while Dum Dum in the northern outskirts of the city recorded maximum wind speed of 91 kmph, the weather office said.

Other places in south Bengal which received heavy rainfall during the period are Haldia (110 mm), Tamluk (70 mm) and Nimpith (70 mm), it said.

NDRF personnel remove an uprooted tree from a road after the landfall of Cyclone 'Remal' at Sagar Island

The weatherman has forecast more rain in Calcutta and the southern districts including Nadia and Murshidabad, with one or two spells of intense downpour, along with gusty surface winds till Tuesday morning.

Scenes of widespread devastation were evident across West Bengal's coastal areas, with extensive damage to infrastructure and property, a day after Cyclone Remal tore through the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal with winds reaching speeds of 135 km per hour.

The cyclone ravaged adjacent coasts of the state and Bangladesh between Sagar Island and Khepupara, near the southwest of Mongla in the neighbouring country, after its landfall process began at 8.30 pm on Sunday, officials said.

Efforts to restore normality are underway, with emergency services working to clear debris and restore power in the affected areas.

The cyclone has led to significant disruptions in air, rail and road transportation in Calcutta and other parts of southern Bengal, they said.

Several suburban trains were cancelled in the Sealdah South section of Eastern Railway (ER), owing to the cyclone.

Train services in the section resumed at 9 am, an ER official said.

Flight services resume

Flights services from the Calcutta airport resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended for 21 hours in view of the cyclone Remal, an official said on Monday.

The first plane to depart on Monday was IndiGo’s Calcutta-Port Blair flight at 8.59 am, while the first one to land in Calcutta was SpiceJet’s flight from Guwahati. It landed at 09.50 am, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) top official said.

Check-in was on for some other flights, the official said.

The last flight to depart from Calcutta airport on Sunday was at 12.16 pm.

Though the process of resuming flight operations has begun, it will take some more time for the situation to become normal, sources at the airport said.