Latest India weather forecast and the tropical storm’s path
A vast area of western India and neighbouring southern Pakistan that suffered deadly floods last year are bracing for heavy storms, with Cyclone Biparjoy expected to make landfall today.
Almost 150,000 have already been evacuated from the south Asian countries. Rain is already falling in coastal areas, where dusty storms have been hampering the evacuation and rescue work. Authorities expect conditions to worsen for two or three days after the cyclone lands in Gujarat.
Indian authorities warned that the cyclone, classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, has the potential to inflict heavy damage once it makes landfall.
Where is Cyclone Biparjoy heading?
The cyclone is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in India’s Kutch district and inundate the area. It is predicted to hit at around 5.30pm local time (1pm BST).
In Pakistan, Keti Bandar in the country’s flood-ravaged southern Sindh province also lies in Biparjoy’s path. At least 1,739 people were killed and 33 million were displaced in 2022 when climate-induced floods swept the country, causing $30bn in damage.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said on Thursday morning that the storm had lost some of its intensity and was expected to have a maximum sustained wind speed of between 115kph and 125kph (71mph to 78mph), gusting up to 140kph (87mph), a slight decrease in predictions a day earlier.
A storm surge of two to three metres above the astronomical tide is likely to flood low-lying areas in the storm’s path. The tides could rise as high as six metres in some places, the Indian Meteorological Department has said.
Pakistan’s Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said Karachi, the country’s largest city with 20 million people, was safe as the cyclone will not make landfall there, as had been previously feared.
You can view a live tracker map of the cyclone here.
How and India and Pakistan preparing?
Thousands of people in India were evacuated on Thursday morning, bringing the total number of people shifted to relief camps to 75,000. In Pakistan, National Disaster Management Authority chief, Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, said 73,000 people have been evacuated to safer places so far, and authorities are providing them shelter and food.
The bazaars and beaches in Mandvi, India, usually a bustling coastal town known for its wooden boat-makers, were deserted Thursday under shutdown orders from the government.
A government release said major religious sites in coastal Gujarat such as the Dwarkadhish temple in Devbhoomi Dwarka and Somnath temple in Gir Somnath district will remain closed on Thursday.
A statement from the Indian railways said 76 trains have been canceled on account of the cyclone.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said: “Elaborate arrangements have been made by us for post-cyclone work like restoration of electricity infrastructure, mobile networks and other infrastructure.”
Experts say climate change is leading to an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparations for natural disasters all the more urgent. Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most affected by climate change, although the country’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is less than 1 per cent.
A 2021 study found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea had increased significantly between 1982 and 2019.
