'Sitrang' cyclone or rumor?

By A Staff Reporter : Panic has been increasing ever since the arrival of Cyclone Sitrang.There are many speculations.However, the IMD termed the matter as rumours.People have also been advised to stay away from it.The IMD has not issued any cyclone forecast.IMD Bhubaneswar tweeted that it is not scientifically possible to make any weather-related predictions seven days before the incident.This 'rumor' spread after Mustafa Kamal Palash, a PhD researcher in meteorology and climate at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, made a prediction about it.

"A depression is likely to form on October 17, which is expected to develop into a cyclone by October 18," he said.Palash said the cyclone could hit anywhere between Andhra Pradesh and Bangladesh. Referring to GFS model predictions, Palash further said the system could be a super cyclone. It's wind speed could be similar to that of Cyclone Amphan. Concerns have grown ever since.