Cyclone Sitrang : As India prepares for the auspicious Diwali festival, which celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, gloomy clouds, torrential rains, and stormy conditions due to are forecast to approach the country’s eastern parts this weekend, with the formation of a cyclone Sitrang in the Bay of Bengal likely.
According to the most current India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, a persistent cyclonic circulation over the north Andaman Sea and its surrounds would influence the creation of a low-pressure region over the southeast and neighboring east-central Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours.
Following that, this low-pressure system is expected to move west-northwestwards and develop into a depression across central BoB by Saturday morning, October 22. The system will then “very likely” intensify into a Cyclonic Storm Sitrang in west-central BoB over the next 48 hours.
When the system strengthens into a cyclone, it will be named Storm Sitrang — a name chosen by Thailand — in accordance with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) rules for tropical storm naming.
Forecasting models have failed to agree on the time at which the cyclone Sitrang will move from sea to land. The ECMWF model indicates that the storm Sitrang will make landfall between the beaches of Digha (West Bengal) and Pather Ghat (Bangladesh) on October 25, while the IMD GFS predicts that it will make landfall over Odisha on October 28.
Exact details on how the system will travel within the Bay, its maximum strength, and how its presence would affect weather across East India are still unknown. However, as we approach cyclogenesis and the pre-Diwali weekend, the overall picture should become clearer.
Impact on Diwali Celebrations
After two years of Covid prohibitions, the people of Odisha were overjoyed to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Firework merchants have spread their cheerful wings around the state.
According to sources, the price of firecrackers has risen this year. Each firecracker has increased in price by 30 to 40%. A sparkler packet that cost Rs 35 two years ago now costs Rs 54. Similarly, the price of Ghari (kumpi) has risen from Rs 80 to Rs 111, and the price of sky-shots crackers has risen from Rs 280 to Rs 450.
The cracker industry is experiencing low sales due to price increases as well as a likely cyclone Sitrang on Diwali on October 24. “After learning about the impending cyclone Sitrang and rainy weather, no one wants to buy firecrackers this year.”
“Only 10% of crackers have been sold as of yet, and it appears like we may incur a large loss this year,” a firecracker merchant in Berhampur told reporters. It is worth mentioning that in 2019, Odisha merchants spent Rs 50 crore on fireworks preparation supplies, compared to Rs 15 crore this year.
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