KOLKATA: In the southeast and surrounding regions of the central Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Mocha has become a "very severe" cyclonic storm, said officials in Kolkata on Friday.
The Severe Cyclonic Storm "Mocha" intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lay centred at 05:30 IST on May 12, 2023, over central adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal near latitude 13.2N and long 88.1E, about 520 km west-northwest of Port Blair, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which closely monitors the cyclone.
Cyclone "Mocha" was expected to intensify into a severe storm by Thursday midnight, it said.
Nevertheless, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent 8 teams and 200 rescuers to Digha in West Bengal in response to predictions that Cyclone "Mocha" could become a dangerous storm. "We sent out 8 teams. There are 200 NDRF rescuers on the scene and another 100 are waiting, officilas said.
Sanjeev Dwivedi, a senior scientist at IMD in Bhubaneswar, shared an update and forecast that the cyclonic storm will weaken somewhat before intensifying into a very severe storm over the central Bay of Bengal on May 12th evening.
"The cyclonic storm is likely to return, and on May 12th evening it will get stronger and pass across the central Bay of Bengal, becoming a very severe cyclonic storm. It will reach its peak intensity on May 13. "The system is continuously monitored," Sanjeev Dwivedi added.
IMD stated earlier this morning that the deep depression lingering over the Southeast
In this regard, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has also made a formal announcement stating that its troops have been placed on high alert due to the IMD's cyclone Mocha warning. According to the statement, the ICG is prepared to respond to the cyclone as predicted by the IMD, and the fisheries and civil administration have been updated.
Heavy depression over Bay of Bengal intensifies into cyclonic storm Mocha