Cyclone Vayu may intensify severely, Gujarat on high alert

A deep depression in the Arabian sea intensified into a cyclonic storm over the last 24 hours. It has been designated as Cyclone Vayu. The cyclonic depression brought heavy rains to the Mumbai on Monday night.

Vayu is currently 780 kms south of Veraval in Gujarat as of 7:30 am. It is moving at a speed of 12 kmph. It is expected to turn into a severe cyclonic storm and make landfall in Gujarat in the next 48 hours.

According to a Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) report, Vayu is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall along the western coastline. The cyclone is said to intensify into a ‘Very Severe Cyclone’ with wind speeds gushing up to 150 kmph as it heads northwards towards Saurashtra coast and crosses Porbandar, Veraval and Diu region, early morning on June 13.

Fishermen along the Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts have been advised not to venture into the sea as the sea conditions will vary between rough to very rough.

The Gujarat government is on high alert and convened an emergency meeting to address the precautionary measures ahead of the cyclone’s landfall. According to media reports, 15 National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) have been deployed to tackle the situation and for relief and rescue efforts.

South west monsoon in southern regions like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have advanced, however heatwave like conditions will prevail over Tamil Nadu for the next four days due to weak El-Nino conditions.