Know What IMD DG Has To Say About Impact Of Cyclone Mocha On Odisha

OB Bureau

May 3, 2023 2:45 pm

Bhubaneswar: While Odisha has put collectors of coastal districts and officials of 11 departments on alert mode in the view of a possible cyclonic storm brewing in Bay of Bengal, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General (DG) Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Wednesday said numerical models guidance indicate formation of Cyclone Mocha around May 9.

According to IMD, a low pressure area is likely to form over southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6. Under its influence, a low pressure area is likely to form over the same region around May 7. The system is likely to concentrate into a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal on May 8. “There is a good possibility of its intensification into a cyclonic storm while moving nearly northwards towards central Bay of Bengal around May 9,” Mohapatra said.

Also Read: Cyclone ‘Mocha’ May Form Over Bay Around May 9-10; Check IMD & Other Forecast Models

He further said that predicting the path of summer cyclones is very difficult. “We have to wait till the system turns into a low pressure to be able to predict its path and intensity,” he said.

“As of now, there is no forecast regarding landfall over India coast. This is warning for fishermen community, who are advised against venturing into the sea from May 7. No alert has been issued for the Odisha coast. There is no forecast about likely impact of the system on Odisha,” he added.

Mohapatra urged people not to panic about a possible cyclone, but remain prepared for face any eventuality. “The IMD will be providing daily updates on the development,” he said, adding that the frequency of genesis of cyclone is maximum in the month of May and Odisha has faced the nature’s fury in the past too.

On May 8 last year, cyclonic storm ‘Asani’ had developed in the Bay of Bengal but later fizzled out and later crossed Andhra coast as a Depression. The severe cyclonic storm ‘Yaas’ made landfall in Odisha’s Balasore district on the morning of May 26, 2021, while Cyclone Amphan made landfall between the Sagar islands of West Bengal and the Hatiya islands of Bangladesh on the evening of May 20, 2020.

The last storm forming in Bay of Bengal in April was ‘Fani’, which made landfall over the Odisha coast near Puri as an extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 3, 2019.