Cyclone Midhili to hit Bangladesh coast today, heavy rainfall in Bengal, North East states, IMD issues warning. 5 points

Cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’ is likely to cross the Bangladesh coast close to Khepupara on Friday night or durig the early hours of Saturday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

The cyclonic storm is hardly to cause any severe damage to India's coastal states, however, the IMD has predicted of heavy rainfall in coastal districts of Odisha, West Bengal, and North Eastern states on Friday. Throughout the course of cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal, the weather forecast agency has warned fishermen to not venture out of the sea. Below are the top five updates on cyclone Midhili.

Cyclone Midhili: Top 5 latest updates

-The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal turned into a cyclonic storm 'Midhili' on Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

-"Deep Depression over NW Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm 'Midhili' (pronounced as 'Midhili'). It lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of 17th Nov over Northwest BoB about 190 km east of Paradip (Odisha), 200 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal), and 220 km southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh)," the IMD stated in its bulletin.

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-The name ‘Midhili’ was given by the Maldives. The cyclone will affect the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal cyclones. The names of the cyclones originating in these areas gets name adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ESCAP).

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-Coastal regions of West Bengal, Odisha, and North East states are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Friday. The Purba Medinipur district administration in West Bengal issued an alert on the approaching cyclone Midhili.

- Apart from Purba, additional vigilance has been arranged in Digha, a coastal ressort town in the West Bengal which is popular with tourists. Rescue teams have been mobilised to deal with situations on a war footing, officials told ANI.