The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Cyclone Mocha intensified into a 'Very Severe Cyclonic Storm' on Friday morning.
The cyclonic storm lay centred over the Southeast adjoining Central Bay of Bengal about 520 km west-northwest of Port Blair, said a tweet by the IMD on Friday morning.
The cyclone is likely to move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast and cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar coast between Cox Baazar (Bangladesh) and Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) around Sunday noon.
It might pack winds of up to 150-160 kmph. As per the IMD, the cyclone will cause a storm surge of 1.5-2 metres for the low-lying coastal region of Bangladesh near Cox's Bazaar.
Though there wouldn't be any landfall in India, Tripura and Mizoram are likely to get heavy rainfall from Saturday onwards. Nagaland, Manipur and south Assam are expected to get rainfall at many places on Sunday.
The weather office has asked fishermen, ships, boats and trawlers not to venture into the central and northeast Bay of Bengal and the north Andaman Sea till Sunday. Those sailing in the central Bay of Bengal and north Andaman Sea are advised to return to the coast.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also deployed eight teams and 200 rescuers in West Bengal's Digha after warnings about cyclone 'Mocha' intensifying into a severe storm.
"#CycloneMocha will convert into a severe storm on May 12 & a very severe cyclone on May 14, as per the predictions," said Gurminder Singh, Commandant, 2nd Battalion, NDRF.
The Indian Coast Guard has also placed its units under high alert following the cyclone warning.
A eneral view of Kan Thar Yar beach near Gwa township in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 11, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha, the Bay of Bengal's first cyclone of the year formed | AFP
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has geared up for the cyclone by alerting all maritime ports but hasn’t ordered evacuations yet.
Myanmar will issue a red alert about 12 hours before the storm hits the country, said reports quoting junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun. There are plans to evacuate tens of thousands of people if needed, he said.
