Potential Cyclone Michaung Likely To Form Over Bay of Bengal After November 30

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning that a low-pressure system currently brewing over the South Andaman Sea is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm within the next 48 hours. The system is currently moving west-northwestwards and is expected to make landfall over the North Andhra Pradesh-South Odisha coasts on December 5.

According to IMD Director H R Biswas, the precise path of the system will be determined once it strengthens into a depression. However, various weather models indicate that the system will continue to move west-northwestwards and then north-northwestwards before potentially recurving northeastwards.

The IMD has cautioned fishermen against venturing into deep sea areas of the central Bay of Bengal from December 1 due to rough to very rough sea conditions. Squally winds with speeds reaching 40 to 50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, are expected over the central Bay of Bengal from December 1, increasing to 50 to 60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, on the following day.

If the system does intensify into a cyclonic storm, it will be named Michaung, as proposed by Myanmar. This would mark the sixth cyclonic event in the Indian Ocean this year, exceeding the usual count, with the fourth occurring in the Bay of Bengal.