Cyclone Arnab’s landfall process was under way on Wednesday as the Alipore Meteorological Office forecast heavy rain, strong winds and stormy conditions across West Bengal, with South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram placed under a heavy-rain warning. Three IndiGo flights arriving at Kolkata airport and two departing from the airport were cancelled because of the cyclone’s impact.
The cyclone was producing strong rain and winds mainly over Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, while West Bengal had not yet experienced a major impact despite the forecast. The weather office said conditions in southern Bengal were unlikely to change significantly over the next two days, although thunderstorms and rain were expected across most districts.
The four southern districts were forecast to receive 7 to 11 centimetres of rain on Wednesday. Other districts in south Bengal, including Kolkata, could receive light to moderate rain, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. A warning for thunderstorms and rain remained in place for all districts of south Bengal on Thursday, while conditions were expected to start changing from Friday.
East Midnapore recorded scattered heavy rain in some areas after 3 pm on Tuesday, but rainfall subsequently reduced. Gusty winds were reported in parts of Kanthi and Ramnagar from early Wednesday. Sea conditions along the Bay of Bengal coast were also reported to be considerably rougher than normal, prompting the administration to conduct continuous public announcements in coastal areas near Tajpur and Shankarpur.
Authorities have prohibited bathing in the sea in the affected coastal areas. The restrictions are intended to keep visitors and residents away from elevated water levels and dangerous coastal conditions while the cyclone’s influence continues. The report did not specify when the bathing ban would be lifted.
Northern West Bengal was also expected to receive stormy weather, although no district in the region had a rain or thunderstorm warning for Wednesday. Heavy rain was forecast in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri on Thursday and Friday. The weather office warned that rainfall could trigger landslides in hilly areas, while yellow alerts for thunderstorms and rain were issued for the remaining northern districts.
The next forecast milestones are the Thursday warning for both southern and northern Bengal and the expected change in weather conditions from Friday. Flight operations, coastal restrictions and local rainfall conditions will depend on how the cyclone’s landfall process develops over the coming days.
