Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: At Marine Drive in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Express Photo: Nirmal Harindran)
Cyclone Nisarga Tracker, Weather forecast Today Live Updates: Cyclone Nisarga is expected to make landfall in Alibagh, in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, in one hour. The process will be completed in three hours, the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) said. The storm lies 60 km south of Alibagh, 110 km south of Mumbai and 340 km south of Surat (Gujarat).
The cyclone has been moving north-northeastwards at a speed of 19 kmph, with a wind speeds ranging between 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
“The right side of the wall cloud region passes through coastal Maharashtra covering mainly Raigad district. It will gradually enter into Mumbai and Thane district during the next three hours. Landfall will commence in one hour and the process will be completed during next three hours,” the weather department said.
Thousands of residents have been evacuated from along the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, two of the worst-hit states by the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, 19 flights, including 11 departures and eight arrivals, will operate from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday by five airlines, including Air Asia India, Air India, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet. The Railways has rescheduled or diverted at least six trains due to the approaching storm.
The Indian Navy and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on standby to conduct rescue and relief operations.
Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Fishermen tow their boats in Mumbai on Tuesday, following the red alert issued by the IMD for extremely heavy rainfall. (Express Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)
Rescue personnel relocate their jetski as part of precautions against cyclone on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. (AP Photo: Rajanish Kakade)
About 15,000 people in Raigad have been evacuated and moved to safer places, hours before Cyclone ‘Nisarga’ is expected to make landfall close to Alibag, just over 100 km south of Mumbai in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, on Wednesday afternoon. Speaking to Mayura Janwalkar, Raigad guardian minister and Minister of State Tourism Aditi Tatkare said people living near the sea in talukas including Shrivardhan, Murud and Alibaug have been asked to vacate their homes and move in either with a relative or into a transit shelter set up in Zilla Parishad schools.
The Bombay High Court Wednesday permitted cruise ship M V Karnika to move to safer waters in view of the approaching Cyclone Nisarga. According to news agency PTI, Justice A K Menon said, "I am of the view that M V Karnika and its crew and others must not be imperiled and must be permitted to leave for safer waters, as may be suggested by the port trust in consultation with the master of the vessel, so as to avoid the path of the cyclone." M V Karnika is anchored at the Mumbai port. It was placed under arrest on March 17, 2020 following a financial dispute by its owners.
Adopting names for cyclones makes it easier for people to remember, as opposed to numbers and technical terms. Apart from the general public, it also helps the scientific community, the media, disaster managers etc. While picking names, some of the guidelines include choosing ones that are neutral, not rude or cruel, short (maximum 8 letters) and easy to pronounce etc. Read our explainer on how names are chosen, the list of names that will be enforced after Nisarga.
Already grappling with the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown, Palghar villagers have reluctant to shift to shelters even as ‘Cyclone Nisarga’ is expected to make landfall at Alibaug, around 105 km south of Mumbai, on Wednesday afternoon before crossing over to Gujarat. While the district administration has claimed that more than 80 shelters have been set up to ensure social distancing can be maintained at all costs, several villagers were seen shifting to the houses of their relatives in neighbouring districts to avoid sharing closed places with others. The Palghar district has, so far, reported 952 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths. Currently, there are 521 active cases while 399 have been discharged. Read Neeraj Tiwari's report
In the view of the approaching Cyclone Nisarga, the IMD has warned of storm surge leading to inundation of low lying areas also leading flood-like situation in some parts of Greater Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri. A storm surge of 0.5-1.5 metre above astronomical tide is capable of inundating low lying areas, IMD has stated. Thane and Pen (Raigad) can expect a storm surge measuring 0.6-0.7 metres, whereas Alibag is bracing for a storm surge anywhere between 0.5-0.6 metres in the coming few hours.
Input from Anjali Marar
The 11 am bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) states Cyclone Nisarga is 95 km south-southwest of Alibagh (Maharashtra), 150 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 380 km south-southwest of Surat (Gujarat). The cyclone has been moving north-northeastwards at a speed of 16 kmph, with a wind speeds ranging between 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
Cyclone Nisarga is expected to make landfall close to Alibag on Wednesday afternoon, just over 100 km south of Mumbai in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat are on alert as the storm nears. Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Dhule, Nandurbar and Nashik districts of Maharashtra are on red alert, with the Met department forecasting the “possibility of extremely heavy rain at isolated places”.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office has released the following Do's and Dont's as Cyclone Nisarga nears:
Do's
Don'ts
Thane and Mumbai will experience winds ranging between 85-95 kmph gusting to 105 kmph over the next few hours. Here are some helpline numbers for Mumbai: 022- 22027990 / 022-22023039 / 9321587143 / 9321590561.
Harnai in Ratnagiri district recorded 5.4 cm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 9.30 am. Meanwhile, some 24-hour data from other cities inclues Panjim (132 mm), Ratnagiri (58 mm), Matheran (34.6 mm) and Pune (44 mm). The IMD has warned that squally winds will continue along the coast in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Palghar in Maharashtra besides Valsad and Navsari districts over south Gujarat.
Input from Anjali Marar
At least six trains were rescheduled on Wednesday due to Cyclone Nisarga, while one was diverted via Pune by the Central Railways.
A total of 19 flights, including 11 departures and eight arrivals, will operate from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport today by five airlines including Air Asia India, Air India, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet. Due to the approaching cyclone, passengers have been asked to check with their respective airlines for any changes to the schedule before leaving for the airport.
According to the latest bulletin released by the IMD, Nisarga lies 130 km south-southwest of Alibagh, 175 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 400 km south-southwest of Surat. The cyclone has been moving north-eastwards at a speed of 13 kmph, with a wind speeds ranging between 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph. Here is the trajectory of Cyclone Nisarga:
Mumbai has received moderate rainfall of 20 mm to 40 mm, while there was light rainfall in other parts of the megapolis during the past 12 hours. On the other hand, the wind is also picking up along the coast. Ratnagiri recorded 55 kmph at 08:30 am. Squally wind reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph prevails along & off the Konkan coast. It will gradually increase becoming 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph in the afternoon during landfall time
Mumbai Police has imposed Section 144 in the entire city from Wednesday midnight to Thursday afternoon. It has also restricted people from coming to places like beaches, parks, and promenades along the coastline. In a tweet last night, the police said, "While it’s best that you stay at home during heavy rainfall; but if, for some unavoidable reason, you need to drive your car, please ensure that you carry hammer or objects that can help you break glass in case your car doors get jammed."
With Cyclone Nisarga looming over Maharashtra coast, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday urged the people in the state to remain alert. In a televised address, Thackeray said the storm is expected to hit the state’s coastal belt Wednesday afternoon and shared a list of `dos and dont’s’ in the situation. Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar have been put on red alert till June 4. The BMC has also shared the list asking people to avoid venturing outside.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat as the two states brace for Cyclone Nisarga. Here are some pictures from a shelter in Thal, Alibagh. Cyclone Nisarga comes two weeks after the east coast was hit by Cyclone Amphan, which claimed the lives of nearly a 100 people. Cyclone Amphan had affected the coastal regions of West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh. (ANI Photos)
Goa experienced heavy rain and gusty winds on Wednesday morning due to formation of a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea, causing flooding in some low lying parts of the coastal state. With the sea conditions being rough, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has asked fishermen not to venture into the waters. The Goa government-appointed lifeguard agency Drishti has also appealed to people not to go in the sea and red flags have been put up at most of the spots along the 105-km-long state coastline. (PTI)
The strength of the cyclones are measured by the wind speeds they generate. At its strongest, Nisarga would be associated with wind speeds in the range 95-105 km per hour. Amphan, on the other hand, was classified as a super-cyclone, of category 5, though it had weakened to category 4, ‘Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm’, ahead of its landfall, at which time the wind speeds were in excess of 180 kph. Further, Cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal side of the north Indian Ocean are more frequent and stonger than those on the Arabian Sea side. Read Anjali Marar and Amitabh Sinha's explainer
With Cyclone Nisarga approaching the coast of Maharashtra, Mumbai is bracing for high windspeed and rainfall. The Santacruz Observatory along the coast is recording winds of 15 kmph. In the last 24 hours, it has received 23 mm of rainfall. Colaba, meanwhile, has reported 39 mm rainfall. The storm lies 190 km from Mumbai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released helpline numbers -- Dial 1916 and press 4 for cylone related queries.