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The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has issued a distant warning signal No.1 for maritime ports in the country after a depression in the Bay of Bengal turned into a low pressure area.
The BMD has indicated that the low could intensify into a cyclone.
In a special bulletin on Tuesday, the BMD said the depression in the east-central Bay of Bengal and nearby northern Andaman Sea deepened into a low pressure area and remained in the same location as of 6am.
The maximum sustained wind speeds near the centre of the weather system were recorded at 40 kph, rising to 50 kph in gusts or squalls.
Due to rough seas near the centre of the system, maritime ports in Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been advised to display the distant warning signal No.1.
Additionally, the BMD has advised fishing boats and trawlers operating in the north bay and deep seas to stay close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.
The low pressure area might continue moving west-northwest, potentially intensifying through a deep depression phase and possibly evolving into a cyclone, according to the weather office.
Should it develop into a cyclone, it may be named ‘Dana’, a name suggested by Qatar, meaning 'an exceptionally beautiful and precious pearl' in Arabic."
ESCAP, a regional cyclone agency under the World Meteorological Organization, assigns names to cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These names are selected in sequence from a list provided by 13 countries in the region.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the current low pressure system is expected to escalate into a deep depression by Tuesday and could develop into a cyclone by Wednesday.
It may further intensify into a severe cyclone and is anticipated to pass midway between Puri and Sagar Island in India around Thursday noon, potentially impacting the northern coasts of Odisha and West Bengal.
In its forecast for Tuesday, the BMD said that the sky will likely be temporarily partly cloudy for the next 24 hours, with predominantly dry weather across the nation. During this time, there may be a slight increase in day and night temperatures.
In the last 24 hours, Cox's Bazar and Teknaf recorded 2 mm of rainfall. No rainfall was reported in other parts of the country.
The most recent cyclone, named 'Remal', lashed the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal on May 26. The storm caused significant destruction, resulting in 76 deaths in both Bangladesh and India.