Cyclone Mocha may impact entire northeast: IMD

GUWAHATI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said the entire northeastern region may be impacted by Cyclone Mocha which is expected to hit the Myanmar-Bangladesh coast on Sunday.

IMD officials told TOI that heavy to very heavy rainfall will occur in Mizoram, Tripura and south Manipur as an effect of Mocha. The Met office said several parts of southern northeast will be swept by gusty winds on Sunday even as south Assam’s three Barak Valley districts are also likely to experience rain.
Expecting damage in Mizoram, Tripura, and South Manipur, the IMD has suggested disaster management agencies to take action to minimize losses likely to be caused by possible landslides and uprooting of trees.
The Friday evening bulletin by the IMD warned that Nagaland, Manipur and south Assam will experience rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places on May 14 (Sunday). For Tripura and Mizoram, the Met office has issued a warning that rainfall at most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely to occur on Saturday, further predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the two states on Sunday. Some parts of Arunachal and Meghalaya are also likely to experience light rain, said Met officials.

The IMD said in Tripura, Mizoram and south Manipur, squally wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph is very likely to prevail on Sunday.
In its evening bulletin at 5 pm on Friday, the IMD stated that the very severe cyclonic storm “Mocha” over central and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal moved nearly north-northeastwards with a speed of 13 kmph during past six hours and lay centered at 2:30 pm on Friday over central Bay of Bengal near latitude 14.3 degree north and longitude 88.4 degree east — about 550 km west-northwest of Port Blair, 870 km south-southwest of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and 800 km south-southwest of Sittwe (Myanmar).
“It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal during night of today, the 12th May 2023. It is likely to cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts between Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and Kyaukpyu (Myanmar), close to Sittwe (Myanmar) around noon of May 14 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 150-160 kmph gusting to 175 kmph,” read the bulletin.