Cyclone Nisarga tracker: Authorities in Maharashtra and Gujarat are gearing up to evacuate people in the wake of Cyclone Nisarga, that has intensified into a 'severe cyclonic storm' and is expected to make landfall in north Maharashtra today. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Nisarga will make landfall at Alibag in Raigarh district of Maharashtra between 1 pm and 3 pm today. Teams of the NDRF, state police and local authorities in Maharashtra and Gujarat are on the ground to assess the situation and evacuate people to safety.
According to the latest bulletin on Cyclone Nisarga issued by the IMD, as of 9.30 am, Cyclone Nisarga lay centred over the east-central Arabian Sea. It was 165 km south-southwest of Mumbai.
In Mumbai, flight operations have been affected and the local authorities have imposed Section 144 CrPc. "Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) issued in Greater Mumbai in view of cyclonic conditions in the city to ensure that there is no danger to human life, health or safety," said Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai.
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Top 10 developments:
1) The IMD has forecast that Cyclone Nisarga will make landfall at Alibag in Raigarh district in north Maharashtra. As per IMD's 10 am bulletin, Cyclone Nisarga was 115 km south-southwest of Alibagh and 395 km south-southwest of Surat in Gujarat.
2) The weather department has predicted that Cyclone Nisarga will move northeastwards and cross the Maharashtra coast at a point close to the south of Alibag today afternoon.
3) In its latest update on Cyclone Nisarga, IMD said wind is picking up along the coast. It said Ratnagiri has recorded wind speed of 55 kmph at 8.30 am. "Squally wind reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph prevails along and off Konkan coast. It will gradually increase becoming 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph in the afternoon during landfall time," the IMD said.
4) The intensity of Cyclone Nisarga at the time of landfall will be of a 'severe cyclonic storm' and it will be generating wind speed of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph. Following the landfall, Cyclone Nisarga will weaken.
#CycloneNisargaUpdate
— t prdhn -DG NDRF (@satyaprad1) June 3, 2020
DAY 0-3rd June 2020,10 am
Cyclone Building up
Initial Effect of Nisarga now showing in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra
PIC 1@NDRFHQ @ndmaindia @PMOIndia @HMOIndia @BhallaAjay26 @PIBHomeAffairs @ANI @PTI_News @DDNewslive @DDNewsHindi @DisasterState pic.twitter.com/4GuOXAk6bB
5) Cyclone Nisarga will also bring with it a storm surge of 0.5 to 1.5 metre that may inundate coastal areas up to 2.8 km in parts of Raigarh district. In comparison to other cyclones that have hit India recently, this storm surge is significantly smaller. For example, the 'super cyclone' Amphan that hit West Bengal last month generated a storm surge of 5 metres above the astronomical tides.
6) Meanwhile, coastal regions in Maharashtra have started receiving rainfall. The IMD said a cloud band is engulfing the Maharashtra coast. "Rainfall will gradually increase over Maharashtra coast." In the past 24 hours, Goa has received 74 mm of rain, Ratnagiri 20 mm, Harnai 13 mm, Colaba 37 mm, Santacruz 21 mm and Dahanu 04 mm.
7) Apart from the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat, the effect of Cyclone Nisarga will also be felt in North India. The IMD has said thunderstorm with rain and wind speed 20-30 kmph would occur over Fatehabad, Jind, Hissar, Hansi, Meham and adjoining area due to Cyclone Nisarga. Besides this, light rain would occur over Bhiwani, Sadulpur, Pilani, Jhunjunu, Loharu, Rohtak and adjoining areas.
8) Meanwhile, the NDRF has been evacuating people from the coastal regions in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Daman and Diu. This morning, an evacuation drive was carried out in Valsad (Gujarat), Thane (Maharashtra), Daman and Diu, among other places.
9) "Five NDRF teams each from Bhatinda and Vijaywada were airlifted successfully for joining the ongoing operations vis-a-vis Cyclone Nisarga in Gujarat and Maharashtra respectively. Five teams for Gujarat have already landed in Surat. Five teams for Maharashtra are airborne," DG NDRF Satya Narayan Pradhan had said earlier in a tweet.
10) As a precautionary measure, the Central Railways has diverted and rescheduled some trains originating from Mumbai in the wake of Cyclone Nisarga. Five special trains departing from Mumbai have been rescheduled and three special trains will be either diverted or regulated enroute, the Central Railway (CR) said today morning.
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