Red alert cyclone warning issued in Myanmar

The Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has raised a red alert for flash floods, landslides and storm surges as a tropical depression makes landfall. The Met department has warned that a deep depression is occurring over middle-east part of the Bay of Bengal and the cyclone storm will land in coastal areas of Rakhine state within the next 12 hours.

Strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour could hit some coastal areas, and storm surges as high as 16 feet could pummel the shores, it said. The bad weather the country is experiencing is caused by a strong monsoon and a tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal.

Isolated heavy rain and strong wind are also expected in Nay Pyi Taw, Sagiang, Mandalay, Magwe, Bago, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Kachin, Shan, Chin, Rakhine and Mon regions. The department has also warned airlines, marine transportation, and fishery boards to keep checking weather advisories.