The “eye” or the centre point of extremely powerful cyclone Mocha is moving toward Myanmar after crossing Bangladesh's coastal areas.
However, it may take until Sunday evening for the cyclone to completely cross Bangladesh, Bangladesh Meteorologist Department has said.
Mostafa Kamal Palash, a weather and climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada told Dhaka Tribune that the very severe cyclonic storm Mocha has now made a full landfall close to north of Beach Sittwe in Myanmar.
Light to moderate rain may continue until midnight with scattered heavy rainfall in Bangladesh, he said.
“Meanwhile, a second miracle happened when the cyclone started making landfall after 6am on Sunday,” Mostafa Kamal Palash further said.
At the same time, the low tide started in the morning while after 12pm high tides were witnessed, he said
The bottom half of the cyclone started crossing Saint Martin's Island and Sittwe, he added.
“This is why heavy rain and strong winds are reported from Saint Martin's Island,” the expert noted.
Meteorologist Abul Kalam Mallik stated that the cyclone began crossing the coastal areas around 6am, and it has already crossed Bangladesh's coastal areas.
“As a result, the warning signals issued at the seaports have been asked to be displayed as before. Meanwhile, due to the storm, Teknaf, Saint Martin's Islam has been experiencing heavy rain with strong wind,” he added.
Sources said that Saint Martin's Island, Teknaf Sadar and several other coastal areas have been affected by strong winds which uprooted trees, and blown away roofs of houses.
Locals were seen removing fallen trees from the roads, as volunteers worked to relocate people to shelters from different parts of the city.
Earlier in the day, BMD reported that Bangladesh is no longer under the primary threat of the very severe cyclonic storm Mocha.
The BMD stated the cyclone would mainly hit Myanmar, shifting its trajectory towards the south.
Azizur Rahman clarified that the cyclone would traverse the mainland of Bangladesh, passing through the south at a distance of 50 to 60 kilometres from Teknaf.
However, the director expressed concern about severe conditions potentially being created on St Martin's Island and in Teknaf as the cyclone crosses the mainland of Bangladesh.
