Cyclone Mocha highlights: NDRF teams arrive in West Bengal's Digha, IMD issues warning

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Thursday issued a bulletin forecasting that cyclone Mocha is expected to intensify into a severe storm by midnight over the central Bay of Bengal.

For Kerala and Mahe, the IMD said fairly widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, and gusty winds could be expected over the next five days

National Disaster Response Force teams arrive in Digha, West Bengal. Announcements being made for tourists and fishermen, asking them to refrain from going into the sea on the 12th and 13th of May.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall warning was issued by IMD for tomorrow for Andaman and Nicobar islands and moderate rainfall in Kerala, Odisha and Karnataka amid as cyclone Mocha intensifies into a severe storm.

"Cyclonic storm Mocha over the southeast Bay of Bengal about 510 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 1190 km south-southwest of Coxs Bazar (Bangladesh). To intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight of today," tweeted IMD.

Cyclonic storm Mocha will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight of Thursday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Cyclones -- the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific -- are a regular and deadly menace on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean.

A storm surge of between two and two and a half metres (6-8 feet) for the low-lying coastal region, which on the Bangladeshi side is home to sprawling camps hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, AFP reported.

Myanmar and Bangladesh deployed thousands of volunteers and ordered evacuations from low-lying areas on Thursday as the Bay of Bengal's first cyclone of the year approached, AFP reported.

IMD says, “Cyclonic storm Mocha lay centered near latitude 11.6 N and longitude 88.0 E, about 510 km west of Port Blair, 1160 km south-southwest of Coxs Bazar (Bangladesh) at 1130 hrs IST of today the 11th May. To intensify into a severe cyclonic storm around evening of today.”

Rainfall at most places with Heavy rainfall at isolated places in Tripura & Mizoram is likely on 13th May and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on 14th May

Nagaland, Manipur & south Assam: Rainfall at many places with Heavy rainfall at isolated places on 14th May.

Rainfall at most places of Andaman & Nicobar Islands with Heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely on 11th May Heavy to very heavy at isolated places is likely on 12th May and heavy rainfall at isolated places during 13th and 14th May.

IMD said, “Cyclonic storm Mocha lay centered near latitude 11.6 N and longitude 88.0 E, about 510 km west of Port Blair, 1160 km south-southwest of Coxs Bazar (Bangladesh) at 1130 hrs IST of today the 11th May. To intensify into a severe cyclonic storm around evening of today.”

In May 2008 Cyclone Nargis left at least 138,000 dead or missing in Myanmar, in the country's worst natural disaster.

Bangladesh was last hit by a super storm in November 2007 when Cyclone Sidr ripped through the country's southwest, killing more than 3,000 people and causing damage worth billions of dollars.

IMD says, Cyclone Mocha would make landfall on Sunday along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border packing winds of up to 145 kilometres per hour.

Ahmadul Haque, director of Bangladesh's Cyclone Preparedness Programme, said they had deployed 8,600 volunteers in Cox's Bazar and another 3,400 Rohingya volunteers in the refugee camps, AFP reported.

The Cyclone Mocha (Mokha) - a name suggested by Yemen - is named after the Red Sea port city which is known to have introduced coffee to the world over 500 years ago.

Cyclones are named depending on the regional rules.

The system of naming cyclones was adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ESCAP). According to the WMO, in the Atlantic and in the Southern Hemisphere (Indian Ocean and South Pacific), tropical cyclones receive names in alphabetical order, and women's and men's names are alternated, while in the Northern Indian Ocean, the names are listed alphabetically by country and are gender-neutral.

IMD says, deep Depression, intensified into a cyclonic storm Mocha and lay centered about 510 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 1210 km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) at 0530 hrs IST of today the 11th May. To intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by mid-night of today.

IMD says Cyclone Mocha over Bay of Bengal will not have any impact on Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast. IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra says Met department has not issued any kind of warning for Odisha regarding wind speed or rainfall. The cyclone will move towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coasts, so there will be no impact on Odisha. However, the conditions will be very rough in the deep sea, reported All India Radio News.

There is an alert of a heat wave in the state till May 12. Cyclone Mocha is not likely to have much impact in Bengal. The landfall of the cyclone will be between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Fishermen and people have been warned not to venture near the sea: Sanjib Banerjee, Deputy Director General IMD, Kolkata, rpeorts ANI. 

Deep Depression over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm 'Mocha' and lay centered about 510 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 1210 km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. It is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight today: India Meteorological Department

Rainfall is likely at most places of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely during May 9 to 11. India's northeast is expected to record heavy rainfall during the weekend due to the impact of Mocha. Tripura and Mizoram are expected to record heavy rainfall at isolated places on May 13 and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on May 14. Nagaland, Manipur and South Assam will also record heavy rain on Sunday.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has alerted people as the cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal was likely intensify from late Tuesday night. A well-marked low-pressure area now lies over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea.