IMD warns: Cyclonic storm to hit northeast around midnight

Cyclone Remal Live Updates: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on May 25 issued a warning for Cyclone Remal, a severe storm that is expected to make landfall in West Bengal on Sunday. According to the weather department, the storm will hit the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh with extremely heavy rains on May 26.

A low pressure system first seen in the Bay of Bengal on May 22 has developed into a larger low pressure system currently located in the centre of the Bay of Bengal. By the morning of May 25, this system will intensify into a cyclone and approach northeast India, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.

According to IMD, apart from West Bengal, there is a possibility of rain and strong winds in the northeastern states like Tripura, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. The regional meteorological centre in Tripura has issued an alert for adverse weather conditions from May 26.

Updates on Cyclone Remal can be found here:

West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Vishal Kumar on Saturday said that in view of the alert, the NDRF and other teams are prepared and are getting ready to shift people from low-lying areas to safe shelters and start relief operations if required.

According to IMD, Cyclone Remal will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next few hours and will pass between Bangladesh and the adjacent West Bengal coast as a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on May 26.

Kolkata airport will suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon due to possible impact of Cyclone Remal, an official said. A total of 394 flights (arrivals and departures) in international and domestic sectors would not operate to and from the airport during the flight suspension, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson told PTI.