ISLAMABAD/MANDVI (INDIA) - The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) “BIPARJOY” over the northeast Arabian Sea after crossing the Indian Gujarat coast (near Jakhau port) has weakened into a Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS).
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the SCD lies near Latitude 23.8°N and Longitude 69.4°E at a distance of 200km east-southeast of Keti Bandar, 180km southeast of Thatta and 270km east of Karachi.
The associated maximum sustained surface winds are 80-100 Km/ hour. Very rough sea conditions over Northeast Arabian Sea prevail with wave heights of 10-12 feet. The system is likely to weaken further into a Cyclonic Storm (CS) by today noon and subsequently into a Depression by today evening. About the possible impacts under its influence, widespread rain-thunderstorm with some heavy or very heavy falls accompanied by squally winds of 80-100Km/hour likely in Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, and Umerkot districts; while heavy falls in Thatta and Mirpurkhas districts today and tomorrow.
Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few moderate falls and accompanied with gusty winds of 30-50 Km/hour likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts today. Squally winds may cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures (Kutcha houses) in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts.
Storm surge of 2-2.5 meters (6-8 feet) expected along Keti Bandar and surrounding Sea conditions along Sindh-Makran coast likely to be rough/ very rough (with 2 meter tide). Fishermen are advised not to venture into open sea till the system is over by June 17.
Cyclone Biparjoy tore down power poles and uprooted trees Friday after pummelling the Indian coastline, though the storm was weaker than feared and there were no immediate reports of deaths.
More than 180,000 people in the Indian state of Gujarat and Pakistan’s neighbouring Sindh province fled the path of Biparjoy -- which means “disaster” in Bengali -- before it made landfall on Thursday evening. The storm packed sustained winds of up to 125 kilometres (78 miles) per hour as it struck -- but weakened overnight, with Indian forecasters expecting it to calm into a moderate low-pressure system by late Friday. There had been no deaths reported in Gujarat but 23 people had been injured in the storm, relief director C.C. Patel told AFP. Driving rain and howling winds continued to lash the state’s coast on Friday despite the worst of the danger receding. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Mukesh Pattni, 22, told AFP from the concrete shophouse where he and 10 other family members took shelter.
“I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Trees are falling, everything is falling apart.” State relief commissioner Alok Pandey told reporters that nearly 500 homes had been partially damaged after Biparjoy made landfall. More than 1,000 villages around the coast were without electricity on Friday as the force of the storm knocked down power lines. Rescue crews were working to clear trees knocked onto roads and restore access to villages. In Gujarat, more than 100,000 people had been moved from the storm’s path before it struck, the state government said, as well as 82,000 others in Pakistan.
