The first cyclone of the year, Cyclone Mocha, is likely to form over the southeast Bay of Bengal this week as a low pressure area develops over the region. According to the IMD, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form around May 6. However, the formation of a cyclone has not yet been confirmed.
“A cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6, 2023. Under its influence, a low pressure area is likely to form over the same area during the next 48 hours (May 7 and 8), the IMD said on Tuesday.
The IMD statement came after the Global Forecast System, the US Weather Forecast Model and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts predicted the formation of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.
According to the nomenclature system followed by WMO/ESCAP member countries, the cyclonic storm, if formed, will be named “Cyclone Mocha”. The name was suggested by the country of Yemen after the Red Sea port city.
“Some models suggest it would be a cyclone.” We’re keeping watch. Updates will be provided regularly,” Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. In recent years, most of the cyclones that developed in the region, including Amphan in 2020, Asani in 2021 and Yaas in 2022, made landfall in the month of May.
Although there is no forecast on the movement of Cyclone Mocha from the IMD, its impact on the coast of West Bengal and Odisha cannot be ruled out. The Odisha government has already started preparations to prevent the damage caused by the cyclone.
Predictions
According to forecasts shared by Windy.com, a cyclonic storm is likely to sweep over the Bay of Bengal next week on Tuesday. After that, it is expected to gradually move northwards, closer to the Indian coast.
According to the IMD-Global Forecast System (GFS), the low pressure area forming over the southeast Bay of Bengal will intensify into a cyclonic storm near the Andaman Islands on May 9.
The IMD system predicts that the storm is likely to move north-northeastwards towards the east-central Bay of Bengal till the 11th.
The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has predicted that a low pressure area is likely to develop in the southern Andaman Sea and southeastern Bay of Bengal, followed by a cyclonic storm on 11 May.
Odisha braces for Cyclone
In view of possible Cyclone ‘Mocha’, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review preparedness, according to an India Today report.
The chief minister asked the administration to be ready to deal with any situation as it is difficult to pinpoint the path of cyclones formed during the summer.
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