There have been 16 cyclones so far this year in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Cyclone Mocha that made landfall on May 14 in Myanmar was categorised as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm by the IMD and as a ‘Super Cyclone’ by global weather website Zoom Earth.
It became the strongest cyclone on earth so far this year according to Vineet Kumar Singh, a researcher at Typhoon Research Center in South Korea’s Jeju National University.
There have been 16 cyclones so far this year in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. With a recorded wind speed of 277 kmph, Mocha became the strongest cyclone for all seasons in both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, since 1982, in the North Indian Ocean, tying with Cyclone Fani in terms of speed and intensity.
While the 1999 super cyclone in Odisha was 259.2 kmph, Phailin and Hudhud were at 259 and 212 kmph respectively. Amphan, witnessed in 2020, was 268 kmph while Tauktae in 2021 was 222 kmph and Gonu in 2007 recorded a speed of 268 kmph.
Before making a landfall on the Myanmar coast near Sittwe, cyclone Mocha weakened slightly and landed at a speed of 180-190 kmph, gusting to 210 kmph.
The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm brought heavy rainfall along with gale winds over the north Myanmar-southeast Bangladesh coasts with tidal waves rising up to 3.5 metres.
Meanwhile, a second cyclone is brewing in the Indian Ocean and can intensify as a category 2 cyclone which is around 148 kmph. If it intensifies to this strength, it can influence the regular wind flow pattern which can ultimately affect the southwest monsoon.
According to IMD, the Northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and the southern part of Assam were likely to witness heavy-to-very heavy rains until May 18.
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