As of Friday morning, Cyclone Midhili is just 330km off the coast of Bangladesh. While the speed of the storm is not very high, the timing of the storm does indicate changes in the overall weather pattern to be experienced by Bangladesh in the future, necessitating advanced weather update systems and a more pro-active approach.
The storm is projected to pass through Khulna via Khepupara and Mongla. As a result, heavy rain and gusty winds continue over the sea and coastal areas. As mitigating measures, four seaports had been asked to issue warning signal-3 -- which was later downgraded to warning signal-4 -- river and ports were asked to display naval warning signal number-2.
While Bangladesh is no stranger to adverse weather conditions even more severe than this, it should be noted that the bulk of such cyclones are primarily observed during the summer or monsoon. Seeing such an event manifest during the onset of the winter months indicates a paradigm shift that we will have to be prepared for in the coming years. Especially considering the devastating depression that hit Bangladesh last year during October, we are now faced with the possibility of having to deal with extreme weather conditions all year round -- not just the summer or monsoon -- and for this, we need to be prepared.
We need to reinforce our weather prediction systems in a way that accounts for the anomalous changes in the overall climate which have occurred in the past few years and draw up a pro-active mitigation plan based on findings. We must invest in more robust early notification systems and cyclone centers.
Cyclone Midhili by itself may not pose much of a threat, but the danger lies in the precedent it is setting for our climate. When it comes to weather, there is no way out but through.
The storm is projected to pass through Khulna via Khepupara and Mongla. As a result, heavy rain and gusty winds continue over the sea and coastal areas. As mitigating measures, four seaports had been asked to issue warning signal-3 -- which was later downgraded to warning signal-4 -- river and ports were asked to display naval warning signal number-2.
While Bangladesh is no stranger to adverse weather conditions even more severe than this, it should be noted that the bulk of such cyclones are primarily observed during the summer or monsoon. Seeing such an event manifest during the onset of the winter months indicates a paradigm shift that we will have to be prepared for in the coming years. Especially considering the devastating depression that hit Bangladesh last year during October, we are now faced with the possibility of having to deal with extreme weather conditions all year round -- not just the summer or monsoon -- and for this, we need to be prepared.
We need to reinforce our weather prediction systems in a way that accounts for the anomalous changes in the overall climate which have occurred in the past few years and draw up a pro-active mitigation plan based on findings. We must invest in more robust early notification systems and cyclone centers.
Cyclone Midhili by itself may not pose much of a threat, but the danger lies in the precedent it is setting for our climate. When it comes to weather, there is no way out but through.