Cyclone Midhili weakens in deep depression; red alert issued for northern state

Cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’ weakened into a deep depression over Tripura and adjoining Bangladesh on Saturday morning and will be moving towards north northeast over South Assam and adjoining Mizoram and Tripura in the next six hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The cyclonic storm will be moving past the Sunderbans before making landfall on the Bangladesh coast, the weather department had said earlier.

“Cyclonic Storm “Midhili” weakened into a Deep Depression over Tripura and adjoining Bangladesh about 50 km N-NE of Maijdicourt (Bangladesh), and 60 km S-SE of Agartala,” the IMD said in its bulletin.

Here are the latest updates on the Cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’:

Heavy rainfall lashed northeastern states – Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam – as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm on Friday. According to the IMD, the weather conditions are likely to continue on Saturday.

The district administrations and district disaster management authorities of Mizoram issued notices, asking people to be alert and take precautionary measures against any eventuality that can be caused due to the rain.

Meanwhile, a red alert has been sounded in four districts of Tripura.

The IMD forecast 51 mm of rain between the mornings of November 17 and 18 in Aizawl district. There are forecasts of heavy rainfall in other districts – Champhai (52 mm), Kolasib (58 mm), Lawngtlai (52 mm), and Mamit (56 mm). The Met office recorded 87 mm of rainfall in the state capital Agartala since Thursday evening, reported PTI.

The name ‘Midhili’ was given by the Maldives. Countries affected by the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal cyclones rotationally give names of cyclones in a sequence. this system was adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ESCAP).