From the warming waters of the Bay of Bengal, a deep depression is gathering itself into something more formidable — a cyclonic storm that will make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast before turning its gaze northward toward West Bengal. Between October 28 and 31, the storm will move through the human geography of the region, touching fishermen at sea, farmers in the delta, and city dwellers from Kolkata to Darjeeling. The India Meteorological Department has spoken with rare clarity: the sea is not safe, and the land must prepare.
Cyclonic storm to drench Bengal with heavy rain Oct 28-31; fishermen warned
Return to shore by October 27, before conditions deteriorate.
Mark
So this storm is coming from the Bay of Bengal and crossing Andhra Pradesh first—why does that matter for Bengal?
Mimi
It's the track. Once it crosses the coast down south, it's moving north, which puts it directly over Bengal. That's when the rain really hits.
Luke
Do we know how strong it will be when it reaches Bengal, or are we just told it's a severe cyclone at landfall in Andhra?
Mimi
The bulletin says it will be a severe cyclone when it crosses Andhra Pradesh on the 28th night. What happens as it moves north into Bengal isn't specified—cyclones typically weaken over land, but the IMD is still forecasting heavy rain, so it's still a significant system.
Mark
Why the different timing for north and south Bengal rain?
Mimi
The system is moving north. South Bengal gets hit first, October 28-31. North Bengal is further away, so the heavy rain there comes later, October 30-31.
Luke
The advisory says fishermen shouldn't go out October 28-30, but the rain starts October 27. Why the one-day gap?
Mimi
The rain starts light to moderate on the 27th. The dangerous conditions—the actual cyclonic winds and rough seas—come with the system itself, which arrives the 28th.
Mark
How many people are we talking about here? How many districts, how many people live there?
Luke
The source doesn't give population figures. It names the districts—that's the concrete detail we have. But we don't know how many people will be affected.
Mimi
True. But the scope is clear: this isn't a small area. It's most of Bengal, both north and south.
Mark
What happens after October 31?
Luke
The source doesn't say. We know the rain window, but not what the situation looks like after.
The Pulse
- A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is rapidly intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm, with landfall expected along the Andhra Pradesh coast on the night of October 28.
- Fishermen face a closing window — those still at sea must return to shore by October 27, as the IMD has banned sea ventures along the West Bengal coast from October 28 through October 30.
- Southern Bengal will feel the first rains as early as October 27, with Kolkata, Howrah, and the Medinipur districts among the first to receive light to moderate showers before conditions sharply worsen.
- The heaviest rainfall is expected to sweep across a wide arc of southern and northern Bengal between October 28 and 31, with districts from Murshidabad to Darjeeling bracing for significant downpours.
- The storm's trajectory northward means no part of West Bengal is untouched — the impact rolls from the coast inward and upward, arriving in the foothills by October 30-31.
From the warming waters of the Bay of Bengal, a deep depression is gathering itself into something more formidable — a cyclonic storm that will make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast before turning its gaze northward toward West Bengal. Between October 28 and 31, the storm will move through the human geography of the region, touching fishermen at sea, farmers in the delta, and city dwellers from Kolkata to Darjeeling. The India Meteorological Department has spoken with rare clarity: the sea is not safe, and the land must prepare.
A weather system building over the Bay of Bengal is set to reshape daily life across West Bengal this week. The India Meteorological Department confirmed on Sunday that the deep depression will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast on the night of October 28 before moving northward and delivering heavy rainfall across the state through October 31.
The storm's arrival will be gradual but unmistakable. Light to moderate rain is expected to begin across southern Bengal as early as October 27, touching Kolkata, Howrah, the Medinipurs, and surrounding districts. These early showers are merely the system's outriders — once the storm moves inland, conditions will intensify considerably.
From October 28 onward, the heaviest rains will fall across a broad band of southern Bengal, with North and South 24 Parganas, the Bardhaman districts, Birbhum, and Murshidabad among the most affected. The northern districts — Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Malda, and others — will face their heaviest downpours slightly later, between October 30 and 31.
For those who earn their living at sea, the warnings are urgent and time-sensitive. The IMD has advised all fishermen to avoid the waters off the West Bengal coast from October 28 through October 30, and those already out must return to shore by October 27. The window to do so safely is narrow, and the department has left little room for ambiguity.
A weather system gathering strength over the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm and sweep across West Bengal with significant rainfall starting this week. The India Meteorological Department announced on Sunday that the deep depression will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast as a severe cyclone on the night of October 28, then move northward to drench multiple districts across the state through October 31.
The first signs of the system will arrive earlier. Light to moderate rain is forecast to begin in southern Bengal districts as soon as October 27, affecting areas including Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, and Hooghly. These initial showers will intensify significantly once the main weather system moves inland.
From October 28 through October 31, heavy rainfall is expected across a broad swath of southern Bengal. The districts most likely to experience the heaviest downpours are North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah, Purulia, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, and Murshidabad. The northern districts will see their heaviest rain slightly later, with Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, and Malda bracing for heavy downpours between October 30 and October 31.
The meteorological department has issued explicit warnings for those who work at sea. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the waters along and off the West Bengal coast from October 28 through October 30. For those already out on the water, the advisory is urgent: return to shore by October 27, before conditions deteriorate. The timing is tight—the window to get back safely closes before the system's heaviest impacts arrive.
Notable Quotes
Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea along and off the West Bengal coast from October 28-30, and asked to return by October 27.— India Meteorological Department
Want the full story?
Read the original at The Economic Times ↗
Climate & Environment