Cyclone Amphan: Heavy rain alert in Assam, Meghalaya

GUWAHATI: Assam and Meghalaya are bracing for heavy to very heavy rain due to the impact of cyclonic storm Amphan on Thursday.


India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert in Assam and Meghalaya in view of the adverse climatic conditions to be experienced from Wednesday night. In other NE states, light to moderate rain is expected, the IMD said.

"Mainly west Assam districts - South Salmara Mankachar, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Goalpara - will have the maximum impact of Amphan. In neighbouring Meghalaya, the districts of Garo Hills will be mainly affected," a senior official of IMD told TOI. Rainfall in the northeast is expected from tonight itself and will continue the entire day on Thursday, he added.

The IMD said Amphan, which was centred at 12:30 pm on Wednesday as an extremely severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal near latitude 20.90 degree north and longitude 88.0 degrees east, was moving north-northeastwards and crossing the West Bengal- Bangladesh coast between Digha and Hatiya close to Sunderbans during Wednesday evening with a wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.

Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said, "All district disaster management teams in Assam have been put on alert. In lower (also known as western) Assam, 40 state disaster response teams have been asked to take position in view of Amphan impact. The NDRF has also been kept ready."

As per the forecast issued by the IMD on Wednesday for the next 24 hours, moderate rain and thundershowers are very likely to occur at most places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. "Strong surface wind with speed of 30-40 KMPH over south Assam, west Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura is expected from Wednesday night itself," said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) deputy director general of meteorology Sanjay O'Neill Shaw.

The IMD has issued warning of thunderstorm with lightning and gusty wind with speed (40-50) kmph at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya in the next 24 hours.

Forecast of gusty winds, thunderstorm

The IMD further said thunderstorms with lightning and gusty wind with speed of 30-40 KMPH is very likely to occur at isolated places over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the period.

While heavy to very heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, especially western districts, in the next 24 hours, the IMD on Wednesday warned that heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the next 24 hours.