Mocha effect: IMD warns of heavy rain in 5 NE states

Guwahati: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Mocha will have an impact in five of the seven northeastern states, where it has issued a warning of heavy rainfall with gusty winds almost simultaneously as the cyclone is expected to make a landfall in the Myanmar-Bangladesh border zone on May 14.
The IMD has issued an alert for Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura when parts of the three states, located close to Myanmar and Bangladesh, may be hit by heavy rain and gusty winds. The IMD has issued an “orange alert” for the three states on that day. An “orange alert” is a call to the disaster management agencies to be on alert and be prepared for any adversity.
The Regional Meteorological Centre of IMD, in a statement, issued heavy rainfall warnings in Tripura and Mizoram on May 13, where the Met office warned of rain at most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in the two NE states. Further, a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the two northeastern states has also been issued on May 14.
In Nagaland, Manipur and south Assam, the Met office has predicted rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places. Simultaneously, the IMD issued a wind warning for Tripura, Mizoram and South Manipur where squally winds with speed reaching up to 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is very likely to prevail on May 14.
The IMD said the deep depression (which is likely to take shape of cyclone Mocha by Wednesday night) over southeast Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during the past six hours and lay centered at 11:30 am on Wednesday over the same region near latitude 9.1 degree North and longitude 88.7 degree East, about 520 km southwest of Port Blair, 1410 km south-southwest of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and 1300 km south-southwest of Sittwe (Myanmar).
“It (deep depression) is very likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm over the same region by tonight (Wednesday). Then continuing to move north-northwestwards, it will gradually intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by May 11 morning and a very severe cyclonic storm by May 11 midnight over southeast and adjoining central Bay of Bengal. Thereafter, it is likely to recurve gradually and move north-northeastwards from May 12 morning,” the IMD said in its bulletin at 2:45 pm on Wednesday.
The Met office said Mocha is likely to weaken slightly from May 13 evening and cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts between Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) around forenoon of May 14 with maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 130 kmph.