Heavy downpour engulfed Mizoram capital Aizawl and other parts of the state on Friday as the government sounded an alert with a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a cyclonic storm. Cyclone ‘Midhili’ will cross the Bangladesh coast on Friday night or in the wee hours of November 18.
Aizwal: Heavy downpour engulfed Mizoram capital Aizawl and other parts of the state on Friday as the government sounded an alert with a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a cyclonic storm. Cyclone ‘Midhili’ will cross the Bangladesh coast on Friday night or in the wee hours of November 18.
Mizoram shares a 318-km-long border with Bangladesh. The state might to experience heavy downpour till Saturday which triggers vehicular movement. The IMD forecast 51 mm of rain between the mornings of November 17 and 18 in Aizawl district. There are forecasts of heavy rain also in districts such as Champhai (52 mm), Kolasib (58 mm), Lawngtlai (52 mm) and Mamit (56 mm).
The cyclonic storm will be moving past the Sunderbans before making landfall on the Bangladesh coast with a maximum wind speed of 80 kmph, it said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said ‘Midhili’ crossed Bangladesh coast near Khepupara between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm. It lay centered at 5.30 pm over coastal Bangladesh. It said it is likely to move and weaken into a deep depression over Tripura and adjacent Bangladesh in the next six hours.
Precautionary measures have been taken in view of the impending cyclone. Sea ports at Pera and Mongla have been advised to raise and maintain danger signal number 7 until further notification. In this sequence, maritime operations of Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram ports have been asked to hoist danger signal number six.
Aizawl’s streets wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors and only a few vehicles were seen on roads. District administrations and district disaster management authorities in notices asked people to be alert and take precautionary measures against any eventuality that can be caused due to the rain.
The name ‘Midhili’ has been given by the Maldives. Countries affected by the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal cyclones rotationally give names of cyclones in a sequence.
Fishermen advised to not venture into sea
The Meteorological Department has issued red warning to fishermen for not venturing into the sea around North Bay of Bengal and West Bengal coasts till November 18. While the IMD said that the cyclone will not have any major impact on Odisha as it will pass 150 km above the state’s coast. IMD scientist Umashankar Das said there is a possibility of heavy rain in some districts like Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur on Friday.
The cyclonic storm “Midhili” (pronounced as “Midhili”) over Northwest Bay of Bengal. pic.twitter.com/qevP1kvD1g
— IMD Kolkata (@ImdKolkata) November 17, 2023
Odisha’s special relief commissioner (SRC) has tasked all the district collectors to keep vigil in the wake of the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. “We do not want to take any chance and, therefore, put the state machinery on alert for any eventuality,” SRC Satyabrata Sahoo said.
The cyclonic storm is likely to bring heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and in the northeastern states, the MeT said. Isolated heavy rain is also expected in West Bengal’s coastal districts of Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, and North 24 Parganas on Friday, the weather office said.
🔴🌧️Red Alert!#Mizoram & #Tripura are on red alert as Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall, including Extremely heavy falls (more than 204.4 mm), is predicted on 17th November. Stay safe, stay informed! pic.twitter.com/qivVkjI8Rn
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 17, 2023
According to MeT, the system is likely to bring extremely heavy rainfall in the northeastern states of Mizoram and Tripura on Friday and in Nagaland, Manipur, south Assam and east Meghalaya till Saturday. This is the second cyclonic storm to develop in the Bay of Bengal in less than a month. The previous cyclone ‘Hamoon’ also headed towards the Bangladesh coast. It was reported that five people were killed as the cyclone lashed Chattogram City on October 25.
