Cyclone Mocha: System is expected to intensify on Thursday into “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm”

A low-pressure region that formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Monday is expected to intensify into a cyclone and move closer to the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar later this week, according to the weather office.

Director General of the India Meteorological Department Mrutyunjay Mohapatra announced during a news conference that the low-pressure region is expected to consolidate into a depression by Tuesday evening and then intensify into a cyclonic storm the following day.

Mocha to Intensify into Very Severe Cyclone

According to Dr. M. Mohapatra, head of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the storm forming in the Bay of Bengal may intensify into a very severe cyclone with winds reaching up to 120 km/h over the water.

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, reassured the public on Monday that all essential precautions had been made and that there was no need to be alarmed because Cyclone Mocha might not make landfall in the eastern state.

“There’s no need to be alarmed about Cyclone Mocha… It might not touch down in West Bengal. However, residents of the state’s coastal regions have been urged to exercise caution. As a precaution, alerts were issued in Digha and the Sunderbans on May 10 and 11, according to her.

The depression that has developed over the Bay of Bengal, according to the Alipore Meteorological Department, won’t have much of an effect on the state.

Cyclone to Move to Central BoB Till May 11

Before turning around and moving north-northeast towards the coast of Bangladesh and Myanmar, the cyclonic storm will first proceed north-northwest to the middle Bay of Bengal till May 11, according to Mohapatra.

Wind Speed Could Be Up to 70kmph

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the nearby Andaman Sea, and southeast Bay of Bengal are forecast to see winds on Tuesday that might gust as high as 70 kmph, according to the Met Department.

According to Mohapatra, the Andaman and Nicobar islands would likely receive very heavy rain on Tuesday due to the effect of the weather system.

Tourism Offshore Activities Banned

Tourism, offshore activities, and shipping should be restricted around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and over the sea regions of the southeast and central Bay of Bengal till Friday, according to the weather office.