Bay of Bengal generates fresh storm, bureaus say

Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:09 Myo Thein

Rangoon (Mizzima) – A low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal was listed at 11:30 a.m. today as intensifying into a depression and was predicted to head northwest, according to the Burmese weather bureau. Another Burma-based weather monitor warned however that the storm could turn to the northeast.

The India Meteorological Department however had already listed it as a depression late on Wednesday.

Burma’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department reported at 1 p.m. today that the depression was centred around 350 miles (560 kilometres) southeast of Gopalpur-on-Sea in India. It categorised the depression as yellow level.

The low-pressure system that had been classified as Watch (1) by the Myanmar Climate Change Watch (MCCW) – headed by former weather bureau chief Dr. Tun Lwin – since Tuesday had intensified into a depression today, the MCCW said.

The meteorology department issued a storm warning that said the depression was unlikely to cross into Burma but could squalls and rough seas in Burmese waters.

The MCCW had also issued a warning also on its website. It said “the depression is forecast to move initially in a northwest direction. But such depressions found in the late monsoon season usually turn back to the northeast so that caution should be exercised and precautionary measures taken. Forty-six per cent of storms that hit Burma were usually found in the late monsoon season so that Burma should be cautious over danger and destruction of storms”.

Its website also said the number of storms that hit Burma late in the monsoon was just eight per cent of total storms that developed over the Bay of Bengal so that it the outlook was too serious.

The depression over Bay of Bengal was the second in October for that body of water and the third for the year, the MCCW said.