Cyclone Remal: Kolkata airport to suspend flights from Sunday noon till Monday morning; Kolkata port also announces op suspension

“In view of cyclone Remal's impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, a meeting was held with the stakeholders and it has been decided to suspend flight operations from 1200 IST on May 26 to 0900 IST on May 27 due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kolkata,” NSCBI airport director C Pattabhi said in a statement.

Kolkata Port has announced the suspension of all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours starting Sunday evening. According to the port authorities, operations will be halted from 6 pm on Sunday to 6 am on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

The low-pressure area first observed on May 22 in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a stronger system, now situated in the central Bay of Bengal.

The regions expected to be affected include West Bengal, Coastal Bangladesh, Tripura, and other parts of the northeastern states.

Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Remal:

According to the IMD, Cyclone Remal is expected to make landfall around midnight on May 26 between Sagar Island in southern West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh.

The latest forecast from the weather agency indicates that the deep depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal is centered approximately 420 km south of Khepupara (Bangladesh) and about 420 km south-southeast of Sagar Islands (West Bengal).

When the cyclone makes landfall on the night of May 26, it is predicted to cause a storm surge up to 1.5 meters, potentially flooding low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Thousands of residents are likely to be evacuated to cyclone shelters from coastal villages in West Bengal, as the IMD has issued a red warning for districts such as South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Howrah, and East Midnapore.

In preparation for the storm, the administration has constructed around 115 multipurpose cyclone shelters in South 24 Parganas and over 100 in North 24 Parganas. The IMD also forecasts that other northeastern states like Tripura, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur may experience rainfall and strong winds.

Tripura has issued an advisory based on the IMD's severe weather forecast. Revenue Department Additional Secretary Dr. Tamal Majumder stated that heavy rainfall and gusty winds are expected to affect Tripura from May 25 to 28.

Bangladesh is also preparing for the severe cyclonic storm, with nearly 4,000 shelters stocked with dry food supplies and water. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) is expected to issue a 'great danger' signal number 10 between midnight and 1:00 am on Sunday.

This is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal this pre-monsoon season and will be named Remal, which means sand in Arabic, according to the naming system for cyclones in the Indian Ocean region.