A tropical cyclone named ‘Shakti’ has formed in the Bay of Bengal, according to a warning issued by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The development was confirmed on Thursday (October 2) morning by Mostofa Kamal Polash, chief meteorologist of Weather.com, through a verified Facebook post.
Reports say the cyclone’s center is currently located east of Andhra Pradesh’s coast and about 700 kilometers southwest of Kolkata. Wind speeds at the center have reached up to 65 km/h, with gusts recorded at around 83 km/h. The storm is expected to make landfall late Thursday night along the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha coastline. However, the Indian Meteorological Department is still classifying it as a deep depression.
Although Cyclone Shakti will not directly cross Bangladesh, its impact is likely to bring moderate to heavy rainfall to Bangladesh as well as India’s West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya until October 5.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre has warned of possible flooding in low-lying areas of Chattogram, Feni, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Sherpur, Mymensingh, and Netrokona, following predictions of heavy rainfall in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Rajshahi divisions. Rising river levels could worsen the situation.
In the past 24 hours, heavy to very heavy rainfall has already been recorded in parts of Bangladesh and India’s Tripura and Assam states. The forecast suggests such conditions may continue until the morning of October 4.
👉 Authorities have urged people to remain alert as Cyclone Shakti progresses.