Cyclone Ditwah spins up over Bay of Bengal, ports on alert

Coastal Bangladesh likely to remain "largely unaffected"

A low-pressure system located in the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjacent Sri Lankan coast has intensified into a cyclone, which has been named “Ditwah”.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has asked seaports to display distant warning signal No. 2, highlighting rough seas near the eye of the storm.

The cyclone will not affect the Bangladeshi coast, Meteorologist Md Shaheenul Islam said.

He told bdnews24.com on Thursday, “There is no possibility of rainfall anywhere in the country due to the cyclone. We will not experience any of its effects.”

The Met Office, in a special weather bulletin, said the cyclone, currently in the southwest Bay of Bengal near the Sri Lanka coast, is moving north-northwest and is positioned at 7.5°N latitude and 81.6°E longitude.

As of 6pm, the cyclone was located 1,910km southwest of Chattogram seaport, 1,930km southwest of Cox’s Bazar seaport, 1,865km southwest of Mongla seaport, and 1,875km southwest of Payra Seaport, according to the BMD.

The cyclone’s maximum sustained winds within 54km of its centre are 62kmph, with gusts or squalls reaching up to 88kmph.

Fishing boats and trawlers in the North Bay of Bengal have been advised not to venture into deep waters until further notice.