Cyclonic storm 'Midhili' weakens into a low-pressure areas over North Tripura

The Cyclonic storm 'Midhili' on Saturday weakened into a low-pressure area over North Tripura and neighbourhood, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

“As the system already passed over major parts of Tripura during early morning of November 18 and the remnant lies over North Tripura and neibourhood as low-pressure area, heavy rainfall and wind warning issued for today has withdrawn,” said IMD.

Earlier, on Friday cyclonic storm “Midhili” caused heavy rainfall and disturbed normal life in across Tripura and IMD has also issued red alert for four districts of the state.

Several areas in the state capital city Agartala, especially parts of HGB Road, Shakuntala Road and Orient Chowmuhani, were waterlogged and the municipality removed flood water from inundated areas with pumps.

Heavy gusts of winds and torrential rainfall battered several parts of Tripura, including Agartala, on Friday amid a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department.

A revenue department report said that while a red alert was sounded for South Tripura, Gomati, Sepahijala and Dhalai for Friday, an orange alert was sounded for the rest of the districts. A yellow alert, which signifies moderate risk and heavy rainfall, was sounded across the state for Saturday.

Under the influence of cyclonic storm, all the districts of Tripura including the capital city Agartala since early morning of Friday received incessant rain and disturbing normal life across the state.

Altogether 10 passenger aircraft cancelled were unable to land at Maharaja Bir Bikram (Agartala) Airport owing to low visibility amid heavy downpour and had to be diverted to Kolkata and Guwahati on Friday.

The weather forecast agency further said that Midhli is likely to continue to move further north eastwards and become less marked during the next six hours.

In its bulletin, the IMD also predicted light to moderate rainfall at some places likely over Mizoram and Tripura.

"Light to moderate rainfall is also expected at some places with isolated heavy rainfall very likely to continue over Tamil Nadu and Kerala during Saturday and November 20, on coastal Andhra Pradesh during November 21 and over Tamil Nadu on November 22 also," said the IMD.

The IMD further said that isolated thunderstorm activity is very likely to occur over these above regions during November 18 to 22.

It also predicted isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Saturday.

While issuing the dense fog warning, the IMD said that dense fog is very likely in isolated pockets of east and south Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, there are reports of moderate damages to crops and destroyed electric lines due to incessant rains in several parts of the state. The power supply in and around Agartala has also been disturbed badly due to incessant rains and till Saturday evening many areas of the state are still in dark.

Sources in the state emergency operation centre said that 12 houses were fully damaged, 72 houses severely and 255 houses  partly  across Tripura.