Cyclone 'Nisarga' is very likely to intensify into a "severe cyclonic storm" by Wednesday afternoon and cross Maharashtra and South Gujarat coast on Wednesday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.
The storm will cross North Maharashtra and adjoining South Gujarat coast between Harihareshwar and Daman, on June 3 afternoon as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind 100-110 gusting to 120 kmph, a senior official said here.
"Cyclonic Storm NISARGA over Arabian Sea. Very likely to intensify into a Severe Cyclonic Storm next 12 hrs," tweeted deputy director general of meteorology K S Hosalikar, IMD, Mumbai, on Tuesday afternoon.
While Harihareshwar in Raigad district of Maharashtra is around 190 km south of Mumbai, the Union Territory of Daman is around 170 km in the north of Maharashtra's capital.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's office had said that out of 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams in the state, ten have been deployed in coastal areas.
An alert has been issued for Mumbai city and suburbs, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, the CMO said. All these are coastal areas.
The cyclonic storm could pose another challenge for Maharashtra which is already battling a steep surge in coronavirus cases.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat and assured them of all help from the Centre.
Modi also spoke with the administrator of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli Praful K Patel, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
The NDRF has deployed 40 teams in Maharashtra, Gujarat and UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Additional teams are also being airlifted. Rescue and relief teams of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy along with ships and aircrafts of the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force have been put on standby.