Cyclone Biparjoy likely to make landfall between Gujarat's Kutch and Pakistan's Karachi — IMD

NEW DELHI — Cyclone Biparjoy intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" on Sunday morning and is likely to make landfall between the Kutch district of Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan on June 15, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

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The meteorological office has issued a cyclone alert for Saurashtra and Kutch coasts.

"The extremely severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy over the east-central Arabian Sea moved north-eastwards with a speed of eight kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 1130 hours over the same region, about 550 km west of Mumbai, 450 km south-southwest of Porbandar, 490 km south-southwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, 570 km south-southwest of Naliya and 750 km south of Karachi (Pakistan)," the IMD said in a bulletin.

The cyclone is very likely to move nearly northward till the morning of June 14, then move north-northeastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan around noon of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph", it said.

IMD categorises a system as a cyclonic storm when its three-minute average maximum sustained wind speeds fall in the 63-88 kmph range. A severe cyclonic storm has winds between 89 and 117 kmph, a very severe cyclonic storm between 118 and 165 kmph, and an extremely severe cyclonic storm between 166 and 220 kmph.

Senior scientist at IMD, D S Pai, said the exact place where the cyclone will make landfall will become clear in the coming days.

There has been considerable uncertainty in the track and intensity of Cyclone Biparjoy since it developed on June 6.

According to meteorologists, the storm underwent rapid intensification in the initial days and has sustained its strength due to a warmer Arabian Sea.

The IMD has issued a heavy rainfall warning for several districts in Gujarat, including Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh, and Morbi. It has also recommended the complete suspension of fishing operations in the east-central, west-central and north Arabian Sea till June 15.

Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is very likely in parts of Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi and Junagarh districts of Gujarat on June 15. Gusty winds and rain may cause major damage to standing crops, houses, roads, power and communication poles, and flooding of escape routes.