Cyclone Mocha : Bay of Bengal may witness severe cyclonic storm today

The Indian Meteorological Department said that Cyclone Mocha forming over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a very severe storm by Friday, May 12 where wind speeds can reach 130 kmph.

The well-marked low-pressure area concentrated into a depression on Tuesday evening packing wind speeds of 45 to 55 kmph and gusting to 65 kmph over the south-east Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department said.

It said the weather system was expected to intensify into a deep depression by 5.30 am on Wednesday and turn into Cyclone Mocha in the next 12 hours, packing wind speeds of 80-90 kmph and gusting to 100 kmph.

The system is expected to move initially north-northwestwards till May 12 morning and later towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coasts, the weather office said.

Jharkhand sizzled as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of the state, PTI quoted a weather official on Wednesday.

The heat condition is likely to remain the same for the next three to four days, following which mercury may dip by two to four degrees Celsius due to slight impact of Cyclone Mocha forming over the Bay of Bengal, he said.

The state may not see much impact of the cyclone, except cloudy skies and light rain in some parts, said Abhishek Anand, in-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that people do not need to fear the cyclone as the state government is equipped to handle the situation.

“If there come different circumstances, we will rescue people from coastal areas as the cyclone will move to Bangladesh and then Myanmar,” CM Banerjee said.