Severe cyclonic storm “Remal” weakens; Heavy rain lashes coastal area of West Bengal

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that a severe cyclonic storm “Remal” has weakened into a cyclonic storm in the early hours of Monday, and is expected to gradually weaken further.

“Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal weakened into Cyclonic Storm at 0530hrs of the 27 May about 70km northeast of Canning and 30km west-southwest of Mongla. The system is likely to gradually weaken further,” IMD posted on X.

As heavy rain and gusty winds persist in Kolkata following the landfall of severe cyclonic storm ‘Remal,’ efforts are underway to mitigate its impact.

“Two people have been killed since Cyclone Remal made landfall on Sunday night,” Kamrul Hasan, secretary of Bangladesh’s disaster management ministry.

The storm snapped power lines, uprooted poles and trees and blew roofs off thatched houses while rain and high tides damaged embankments and flooded coastal areas.

A red alert was issued in two districts of the state – Murshidabad and Nadia, in view of the cyclonic storm Remal.

These two districts are likely to receive 7 to 20 cm of rain on Monday. Eight districts, including Kolkata, are likely to experience thundershowers and gusty winds of 50 to 60 kmph.

Apart from Kolkata, heavy rain is expected in Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Burdwan, West Burdwan and Birbhum, the Met office said. These districts may have wind gusts of up to 60 km per hour.

Following the weakening of cyclone Remal, the flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

“Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0859 hrs, after it was closed for flight operation yesterday in view of the #CycloneRemal,” the official X handle of Kolkata Airport posted.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) issued warnings of extremely heavy rainfall across Assam and other northeastern states on May 27 and 28.

Orange and Red alerts were issued for various districts, anticipating severe weather conditions. Squally winds of 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, were expected over south Assam and Meghalaya.

The Meghalaya government advised residents to prepare emergency kits, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay updated with weather reports.

Tripura’s government closed all educational institutions on May 27 and 28 and suspended flight operations on the Kolkata-Agartala route until Monday.

The West Bengal government evacuated approximately 1.10 lakh people from coastal and vulnerable regions to cyclone shelters and other safe locations. Evacuations focused on South 24 Parganas, particularly Sagar Island, Sundarbans, and Kakdwip.