Cyclone Michaung to intensify further

FE Team | Published: December 04, 2023 23:48:04

Cyclonic Storm Michaung over Southwest Bay and adjoining area moved North-Northwestwards and now lies over West central Bay of Bengal and adjoining area, reports UNB.
It is likely to move North-Northwestwards and intensify further, according to the latest bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Organisation (BMD).
It was centred at 6am on Monday about 1545 km Southwest of Chattogram port, 1510 km Southwest of Cox's Bazar port, 1390 km Southwest of Mongla port and 1405 km Southwest of Payra port, said the bulletin.
All maritime ports have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal no. two ( R ) two.
Maximum sustained wind speed within 54km of the cyclone centre is about 62 kph rising to 88 kph in gusts/squalls.
Sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre.
Light rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Khulna, Barishal & Chattogram divisions. Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country.
Meanwhile Reuters report from Chennai of India adds: At least two people died and the runway of one of India's busiest airports lay submerged due to torrential rain, as two southern states braced on Monday for a severe cyclone likely to hit in the next 24 hours.
Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning, the country's weather office said, with sustained winds of 90-100 kph (56-62 mph), gusting to 110 kph.
Two people were killed when a wall collapsed because of heavy rain in the Chengalpattu district of neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, joint director of the state disaster management department, C. Muthukumaran, told Reuters.
In Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, the state's largest city and a major electronics and manufacturing hub, cars were swept away as floodwater flowed through the streets, while its airport, one of the busiest in India, shut down operations for the day citing severe weather.
Media showed pictures of grounded planes with their wheels submerged in water as the rain pelted down.
Taiwan's Foxconn (2317.TW) and Pegatron (4938.TW) halted Apple (AAPL.O) iPhone production at their facilities near Chennai due to heavy rains, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Several areas of the city were submerged in knee-deep water and there have been power outages since Monday morning, a Reuters witness said, evoking memories of December 2015 when around 290 people died after catastrophic floods.
Authorities in both states were on high alert, evacuating thousands of people living in coastal areas, officials in both states said, with warnings issued to fishermen not to venture out to sea.
Schools, colleges, offices and banks were closed on Monday and Tuesday in at least four districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, because of weather conditions, a government notice said.
Parts of Andhra Pradesh were likely to get more than 200 millimetres (8 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours, India's weather office said.
In Andhra Pradesh, authorities had evacuated nearly 7,000 people in eight coastal districts and were preparing to evacuate a total of 28,000, depending on the cyclone's path and severity, a senior official in the state's disaster management department said.
At least 800 people have been evacuated so far from Bapatla, the coastal town in Andhra Pradesh where the cyclone is expected to make landfall on Tuesday, P Ranjit Basha, district collector of Bapatla, said.