New Delhi: The deep depression over the east-central Arabian Sea has intensified into cyclone Nisarga on Tuesday noon. It’s the 65th named cyclone in the north Indian Ocean and its name, proposed by Bangladesh, means ‘nature’ in Bengali.
Nisarga is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the next 12 hours and will make landfall, as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour (kmph) gusting up to 120 kmph, near Alibag, about 94 km south of Mumbai, in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.
“The landfall location will be very close to Alibag, but extensive damage can be expected in Mumbai as well. There can be a storm surge up to two metres for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts and a warning has been issued for extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general, India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Now, the deep depression is lying about 280 km west-southwest of Panjim, 490 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 710 km south-southwest of Surat. The cyclone is likely to cross north Maharashtra and adjoining south Gujarat coast between Harihareshwar at Raigad and the Union Territory Daman on Wednesday afternoon.
The storm surge is expected to be up to two metres above the astronomical tide and is likely to inundate low-lying areas of Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts and up to a metre high above the astronomical tide and is likely to flood low-lying areas of Ratnagiri district during the time of landfall, the IMD authorities said.
{{/usCountry}}The storm surge is expected to be up to two metres above the astronomical tide and is likely to inundate low-lying areas of Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts and up to a metre high above the astronomical tide and is likely to flood low-lying areas of Ratnagiri district during the time of landfall, the IMD authorities said.
{{/usCountry}}Extremely heavy rainfall, measuring over 20 centimetres (cm), is expected in parts of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Sindhudurg, and Palghar districts, they added.
Unattached metal sheets, thatched roofs; electric poles, trees, embankments, salt pans and coastal crops could face widespread damage and destruction, the IMD authorities warned.