New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday that the “very severe” cyclonic storm Biparjoy is expected to intensify further in the next 24 hours and will move north-northeastwards.
The storm, which is currently located about 690 km west of Goa, 640 km west-southwest of Mumbai and 640 km south-southwest of Porbandar, is packing winds of up to 145 kilometers per hour. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the storm could cause heavy rain and strong winds in coastal areas of Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.
“Very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy at 2330 hrs IST of 9th June over east-central Arabian Sea near lat 16.0N & long 67.4E. Likely to intensify further & move north-northeastwards during the next 24hrs,” IMD said in a tweet.
Tithal Beach, a popular tourist destination in Gujarat’s Valsad on the Arabian Sea coast, has been closed to tourists until June 14 due to high waves and strong winds in anticipation of Cyclone Biparjoy.
The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the seas off the coast of Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Lakshadweep. A yellow alert was issued for eight districts in Kerala on Friday.
The cyclone was named Biparjoy by Bangladesh. The name means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) adopted the name in 2020 for all tropical cyclones that form over the North Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
