Mocha triggers rainfall in Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram

GUWAHATI: Cyclone Mocha has triggered rainfall in the southern parts of the northeast, with south Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram receiving light to moderate showers on Sunday.

Officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur till Monday. As per the IMD bulletin, Kohima received 22.6 mm rainfall, followed by 4.8 mm in Aizawl and 2 mm in Silchar till 5.30 pm on Sunday.

“Mizoram and south Manipur are likely to experience maximum rainfall in the northeast till Monday. There are chances of very heavy rainfall in Mizoram and Manipur,” said a Met official.

The IMD has issued a warning of squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph over Mizoram, and can also intensify to 45-55 kmph and gust to 65 kmph till Monday morning. Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph and gusting to 65 kmph over Manipur is likely till Monday morning, it added.

As per the IMD’s national bulletin, on 5.30 pm on Sunday, the extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Mocha’ weakened into a very severe cyclonic storm over Myanmar. “The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Mocha’ (pronounced as “Mokha”) over Northeast Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 26 kmph during past 6 hours, weakened into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and lay centred at 1730 hours IST of today, the 14th May over Myanmar near latitude 21.1 degree North and longitude 93.3 degree East about 120 km north-northeast of Sittwe (Myanmar), 160 km of west of Nyaung-U (Myanmar), 360 km northwest of Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) and 140 km east-southeast of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh),” read the bulletin.

It said the system is continuing the weakening trend and will become a cyclonic storm in the next six hours.