November 17, 2023: Cyclone Midhili will trigger widespread light to moderate rains along with isolated heavy showers across coastal West Bengal, south Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the next 24-48 hours.

Cyclone Midhili will be the second successive cyclonic storm in two months to ravage the Bay of Bengal; the first being Cyclone Hamoon, which strengthened into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and made landfall over Bangladesh around mid-October.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Deep Depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal moved further north-northeastwards at a speed of 20 kmph, intensifying into the Cyclonic Storm ‘Midhili’.

Midhili will cross the Bangladesh coast, close to Khepupara, between late Friday night and the early hours of Saturday. It will retain its Cyclonic Storm status during landfall, packing wind speed of 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph.