Northeast India to be hit by Cyclone Mora

The Meteorological Department on Monday said that the cyclonic storm, Mora, is likely to make a landfall in Bangladesh near Chittagong in the next 24 hours. The deep depression is said to have originated over the east-central Bay of Bengal and has intensified into a cyclonic storm.

The states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal are likely to experience very heavy rainfall, according to the Met department.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea for the next 24 hours.

The storm would be a severe one between Monday and Tuesday but would become a deep depression later.

IMD said that winds would gust at a speed of 100-130kmph when it turns into a severe cyclonic storm.

Sources say that the cyclone may also help pull in the monsoon faster towards the mainland. The monsoon may arrive anytime in Kerala now.

Cyclone Vardah had struck Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in December 2016 and had caused extensive damage in Chennai. It had also caused massive power damage in the city.