Cyclone Mocha will bring rain and stormy winds to the coastal areas of Bangladesh from Saturday evening.
The possible wind speed will likely be 150kph to 175kph when it hits the coast on Sunday, said Mohammad Azizur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, at a press conference on Friday about the cyclone.
He said that the speed of the cyclone has decreased.
It was moving forward at a speed of 15km to 16km per hour earlier. But now it is reduced to an average of eight kilometres to 10 kilometres. At present its speed is nine kilometres per hour.
Azizur Rahman also said that if this speed continues, the super cyclone Mocha may pass through the southeastern coast of Bangladesh and the northern coast of Myanmar by next Sunday afternoon.
“We fear that this storm will pass over the entire Cox's Bazar district in particular,” said the official.
He said that Mocha is moving towards making an eye formation like Sidr.
Wind speeds can reach 150km to 175km per hour when it hits the coast.
St Martin's Island, Cox's Bazar, Maheshkhali, Chandpur, Noakhali, Lakhshmipur and Hatia are among the areas at risk.
The temperature will start decreasing across Bangladesh from Friday. Along with this, rainfall will increase across the country from Saturday.
Cyclone Mocha has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining area, according to a special bulletin by Bangladesh Meteorological Department on Friday morning.
The cyclonic storm is likely to further intensify in the coming hours and it has moved further north-northeastwards, according to the special bulletin.
It was centred at 6am on May 12 about 1,095km south-southwest of Chittagong port, 1,025km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar port, 1,055km south-southwest of Mongla port and 1,020km south-southwest of Payra port.