Cyclone Biparjoy: High Tides Hit Gujarat Coastal Areas As Storm Makes Landfall; Wind Speed to Weaken by Midnight

MET Director Manorama Mohanty told ANI, “Currently, the wind speed is between 115 to 125 per km hour. It can also go up to 140 km per hour. By midnight, the wind speed might decrease.”

Speaking to ANI on cyclone Biparjoy, Narendra Singh Bundela, IG, NDRF said, “The main impact will be in Gujarat’s Kachchh area and south area of Rajasthan. Heavy rains are expected and chances of flood are also there.”

Speaking to ANI, Vikram Varu, Mamlatdar (gazetted officer of the State Government), said, “The control room is working round the clock. Extra employees have also been deputed there. More than 25 complaints were received at the control room today but they were about the uprooting of trees, power cuts and damage to sheds of ‘kachcha’ houses. But no lives lost so far.”

As Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in Gujarat on Thursday evening, an astronaut captured striking images of the very severe cyclonic storm from space. Clicking images from the International Space Station, United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi showed how ‘Biparjoy’ formed and looked from space. The images showed a massive cloud structure forming a cyclonic storm on the Arabian Sea. Read More

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday evening said the landfall process of ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm Biprajoy started near Gujarat’s Jakhau port and is centered over north Arabian Sea but it is coming closer to the state’s Saurashtra coast with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph. The diameter of the storm’s eye is about 50 km and would hit the region around midnight. Read More

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel today evening held a review meeting at the State Emergency Operation Center in Gandhinagar on cyclone Biparjoy.

Speaking on the cyclone Biparjoy, IMD Director General Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra told ANI, “It will hit the coast between Karachi and Mandvi and close to Jakhau port of Gujarat. This is now located about 70 kms away from Jakhau port in the Arabian Sea. It is moving at a speed of about 15 kmph. Hence, the landfall process has commenced over the coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch. Upto midnight, the landfall process will continue.”

The landfall process of cyclone Biprajoy over the Gujarat coast has begun, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday evening. The ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm Biparjoy is centered over north Arabian Sea but it is coming closer to the Saurashtra coast with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph, it said in a statement. “The landfall process has commenced,” the IMD said, adding that the process will get over in three to four hours.

As the landfall process of cyclone Biparjoy started, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) called it a “dangerous period” till midnight.

Landfall process of cyclone Biparjoy has started in the Gujarat coast. In its bulletin, the IMD said, “Biparjoy is severe cyclonic storm right now and 70kms far from Jakhau. The wind speed is 60-80kms. Wall cloud reaching towards the Kutch region and the landfall process has started. By midnight, the cyclone will be over.”

The ‘wall cloud’ region of cyclone Biparjoy touched the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat today evening as it headed for landfall near Jakhau port in the state’s Kutch district, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that the landfall process will commence in the evening and carry on till midnight. The cyclone lay 80 km west-southwest of Jakhau port and packed winds of 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph, it said. The cyclone, which moved east-north eastward towards Gujarat coast with a speed of 12 kmph in the past six hours, will make landfall between Mandvi in Kutch district and Karachi in Pakistan near Jakhau port between Saurashtra-Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts, the IMD has said.

The ancient Dwarkadish temple in Gujarat has been closed for visitors in view of cyclone Biparjoy that is likely to make landfall near Jakhau Port in the state’s Kutch district late Thursday night, a senior official told news agency PTI. Dwarkadhish group of temples with its outer compounds is a protected site under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The main temple at Dwarka, situated on Gomti creek, is known as jagat mandir (universal shrine) or trilok sundar (the most beautiful in all the three worlds), according to the official website of Devbhumi Dwarka district.

Here’s a list of other arrangements made by the Indian Coast Guard:

1. Helicopter operations facilities are activated especially at Okha, Jakhau and Vadinar areas for quick response in the Kutch district where cyclone landfall is expected. 2. All eight ICG stations along coast in highest state of readiness. 3. Senior DIG rank officer stationed in the Kutch district at Mundra to oversee field units first-hand. 4. Twenty-three disaster relief teams have been formed in the ICG stations for aid to civil authorities.

As the cyclone Biparjoy inching closer o Gujarat coast, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has made all arrangements to deal with any untoward incident. Weather warnings broadcast will be done by ICG ships, aircraft and radar stations to warn all mariners. It has been ensured that all fishing boats, which are most vulnerable, are returned to their places. All oil handling agencies were also sensitized to prepare for contingencies and 15 ships are ready in multiple configuration.

In its fresh advisory, the IMD has issued “red message” which reads that “very severe cyclonic storm at 4:30 pm reached about 80 km west-northwest of Gujarat’s Jakhau port and 130km west-northwest of Devbhumi Dwarka”. The landfall process will commence near Jakhau port from today evening and will continue till midnight.

With cyclone Biparjoy inching closer to Gujarat to make landfall later on Thursday evening, six NDRF teams evacuated 72 civilians (male-32, female-25, children-15) from Rupen Bandar low-lying area and shifted them to NDH School Dwarka.

Over the past few days, we have seen how the long-lived Cyclone “Biparjoy” gradually developed and headed towards Gujarat and parts of Pakistan… but all that was covered from the ground or our regular weather systems giving us a real time update. This time, however, we have pictures from the space. Yes, space. Some images uploaded by NASA’s Earth Observatory look absolutely spectacular, a stark contrast to the harsh reality faced by people on the ground, who are enduring the devastating impact of the powerful cyclone. Read More

A mid strong advisory from union government to not venture near coast in wake of the cyclone ‘Biparjoy’, Parshottam Rupala, minister of state for animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, visited Ekadash Mahadev temple in Dwarka town in Devbhoomi Dwarka district on Thursday which is located at the sea coast to offer prayers. Rupala offered prayers amid the knee-deep sea water inside the temple at the coast. However, while he was returning from the temple, a strong tidal wave engulfed him and his aides, but they all escaped unhurt. Read More

With cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ inching closer to Gujarat to make landfall later on Thursday night, the state administration said it has so far shifted more than 94,000 persons living in eight coastal districts to temporary shelters. Of the 94,427 persons evacuated so far, nearly 46,800 were evacuated in Kutch district, followed by 10,749 in Devbhumi Dwarka, 9,942 in Jamnagar, 9,243 in Morbi, 6,822 in Rajkot, 4,864 in Junagadh, 4,379 in Porbandar and 1,605 in Gir Somnath district, a Gujarat government release said. “Those who were shifted to safer places include nearly 8,900 children, 1,131 pregnant women and 4,697 elderly persons. A total of 1,521 shelter homes have been set up in these eight districts. Medical teams are visiting the shelters at regular intervals,” the release informed.

Cyclone Biparjoy Landfall Time | Addressing the media, Inspector General AK Harbola, Commander, Indian Coast Guard, Region (North West) said, “We are expecting landfall to take place between 6pm to 8pm. Anticipating the situation post that, we have kept around 15 ships and seven aircraft on standby. We have also kept four special Dornier and three helicopters at Coast Guard Station in Daman. We will deploy them if necessary.”