NEW DELHI: After days of tracking the Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Meteorological Department has now come up with its final route. The cyclone will likely cross India’s western state Gujarat in the next 3-4 days.
“Biparjoy cyclone is very likely to move nearly northward till 14 June morning, then move north-north-eastwards and cross Saurashtra & Kutch in Gujarat and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) around noon of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph,” stated IMD in its advisory.
Cyclone Biporjoy is now the strongest cyclone in Arabian Sea after Taukatae in 2021. Also, the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) in the north Indian Ocean has now reached 27.6 – the third-highest ACE in the pre-monsoon season in the satellite era since 1982. The highest-ever-recorded ACE was in 2019 at 37.67.
The IMD has warned of heavy rainfall for some of Gujarat’s districts, such as Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi in the next two days. It also advised total suspending fishing operations over east-central and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea until June 15.
“Fishermen are advised not to venture into the Central Arabian Sea till June 15 and North Arabian Sea during June 12-15 and those out at sea are advised to return to coast” states IMD. Besides the cyclone, IMD also forecasted favourable conditions for further advancement of the Southwest monsoon into some more parts of the central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and remaining parts of Tamil Nadu and north-east states and some parts of West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar in next 48 hours.
However, former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Madhavan Rajeevan analysed of delayed advances of the current monsoon to eastern and central India by 10 days. “I do not see any signs of weather system forming over the Bay of Bengal till June 20 which may delay of onset over eastern parts of central India by 7-10 days,” said Rajeevan. “Farmers should be advised properly” he said. The Southwest Monsoon arrived a week late against the normal date of June 1.