KOLKATA: After cyclone Titli hit the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast with the wind speed touching 126 km/hour on Thursday, it re-curved slower than expected on landfall, losing intensity and sparing Kolkata heavy showers. While the city received just a few spells of light drizzle instead of the intense rain that had been predicted, showers could lash Kolkata from Friday afternoon as the storm finally re-curves and reaches Gangetic Bengal in the form of a depression. The rain could continue till Saturday morning, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).“A cyclone usually curves after hitting land which helps the system retain intensity. But Titli continued to move in a north-westerly direction for six hours after hitting land at 11.30am. So, it kept losing intensity and turned into a cyclonic storm and later, a deep depression. By the time it reaches Gangetic Bengal on Friday morning, it will have turned into a depression. The city could receive moderate showers under its impact from Friday afternoon,” said RMC director G K Das.Earlier, the cyclone had moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 13 km/hour and hit the Andhra-Odisha coast, triggering heavy rain. But the devastating effects of the cyclone were hardly felt in Kolkata, which was bracing for a wet run-up to the Puja. Other than a couple of light drizzles, the city remained dry, though cloudy. “It would have rained heavily had the cyclone curved on landfall. But it took unusually long to turn. But since Titli is reaching Gangetic Bengal slightly later than expected, the showers could linger, too. But we expect the skies to be clear by October 14,” said a weather scientist.Meanwhile, 20 flights arriving in Kolkata were delayed and one departing flight from the city was cancelled owing to cyclone Titli.“Flight and train operations have taken a major hit, disrupting travel along the east coast. About 16% of the inbound and outbound flights from Bhubaneshwar have been cancelled, and 27% of the flights to and from Vizag have been delayed. While no major impact has been seen on Kolkata yet, weather reports indicate heavy rain in Bengal over the next 24 hours, which may lead to flight and train cancellations,” said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder of travel portal Ixigo.The Met office has predicted heavy to very heavy showers across south Bengal on Friday and Saturday. Howrah, Hoogly, East and West Midnapore, Burdwan, South and North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad , Birbhum and Nadia are expected to receive rain over the next 48 hours.

Stay updated with all the Kolkata Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.