Hamoon underwent rapid intensification from 30 knots to 70 knots in 24 hours
On October 25, 2023, Cyclone Hamoon finally reached the shores of the Bay of Bengal and began the process of landfall around midnight. The cyclone lay centred over coastal Bangladesh at 5.30 am about 40 km east-southeast of Chittagong (now officially renamed Chattogram), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD, in an earlier update, stated: “Landfall process has commenced. The storm is expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm and cross the Bangladesh coast to the south of Chittagong within a few hours, with wind speeds ranging from 80 to 90 kmph, gusting up to 100 kmph.”
On October 23, around 5.30 pm, Hamoon was a Deep Depression. But in the last 24 hours, Cyclone Hamoon underwent rapid intensification from 30 knots to 70 knots (1 knot = 1.86 km per hour). This is an increase in windspeed of 40 knots in 24 hours.
The coastal districts in Bangladesh have implemented evacuation plans after anticipating the impact of Cyclone Hamoon. The authorities had moved several residents to secure shelters by the night of October 24.
The authorities also suspended all cargo handling operations at Chattogram Port and halted river transport in southern Bangladesh as precautionary measures. The reports further added that the storm is likely to move northeastwards and weaken into a deep depression within the next six hours and further downgrading into a depression in another six hours.
The cyclonic storm Hamoon is also causing a weather change in India’s northeastern states. According to IMD, isolated heavy rainfall has been predicted over Mizoram and heavy to very heavy rainfall over Tripura on October 23 and October 24.
The weather department has also predicted light to moderate rainfall at many places over south Assam and eastern Meghalaya on October 24 and October 25 with isolated heavy rainfall in the south of Assam.
Meanwhile, the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “Tej” that formed over the Arabian Sea, crossed Yemen’s coast and weakened into a severe cyclonic storm. This is the first time in five years, that India’s marginal seas have hosted two cyclones together after Luban and Titli simultaneously formed in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2018.
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