Online Desk: A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours and cross the Bangladesh coast, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather office said the deep depression will continue to move north-northeastwards at a speed of 17 kmph. Once it becomes a cyclonic storm, it will be named Cyclone Midhili — a name suggested by the Maldives.

Cyclone Midhili is expected to make landfall between Khepupara and Mongla in Bangladesh on Saturday morning, reports India Today.

The weather system lay centred around 390 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 320 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha at 8.30 am on Thursday, the IMD said in its bulletin.

“It is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, intensify further into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and cross the Bangladesh coast between Mongla and Khepupara with a wind speed of 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph by the early hours of Saturday,” it said.