IMD forecasts heavy rain in THESE states for next 2 days as Cyclone Midhili moves northwards

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday warned that a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm and is moving north-northeastwards at a speed of 17 kmph. The weather department said that the Cyclone Midhili can intensify by Friday and cross the Bangladesh coast. Under the influence of Cyclone Midhili, heavy rainfall is forecasted in the coastal regions of Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram till Friday with wind speed blowing in the range between 40 kmph and 70 kmph.

The weather department added that rains are also expected in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya till Saturday. It said that Cyclone Midhili can turn into a cyclonic storm over the next 24 hours and cross the Bangladesh coast between Mongla and Khepupara.

"The system is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, intensify further into a cyclonic storm over the next 24 hours, and cross the Bangladesh coast between Mongla and Khepupara in the early hours on Saturday, with a wind speed of 55-65 km, gusting up to 75 kmph," the bulletin stated as per news agency PTI.

Cyclone Midhili: Warning for fishermen

IMD released informed that at 8:30 am on Thursday, the location of Cyclone Midhili was concentrated approximately 390 kilometers to the east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and about 320 kilometers to the south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha. The weather department has also issued a warning to fishermen to not venture into the sea till 18 November as the cyclone is likely to intensify during this period.

As Cyclone Midhili crosses Bangladesh's coast, light to moderate rainfall is expected over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura from Thursday to Saturday. The local administration of the areas is on alert owing to the warnings around Cyclone Midhili.

"Guidance from various numerical models is indicating north-northeastwards movement towards Bangladesh coast. Peak intensification is suggested up to the marginal cyclone stage," the agency added.