Cyclone Biparjoy in Arabian Sea: Landfall to route, what we know
As cyclonic storm Biparjoy continues to intensify, fishermen have been warned against venturing out. Warnings are expected for the coastal areas as well. Here's what we know right now about Cyclone Biparjoy's expected landfall and the route the storm may take.
By India Today News Desk: Cyclone Biparjoy, the year’s first storm in the Arabian Sea, has rapidly intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, with meteorologists predicting a "mild" monsoon onset over Kerala and "weak" progress beyond the southern peninsula under its influence, reported news agency PTI. Cyclone Biparjoy is the second named storm of the 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Cyclone Mocha, which was the first, formed over the Bay of Bengal and hit Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh earlier in May.
Like Cyclone Mocha, Cyclone Biparjoy is also expected to give India a miss. However, the storm will likely cause weather disturbances and rainfall along India's western coast. Here's what we know as of today (June 7) evening about Cyclone Biparjoy.
LANDFALL
Cyclone Biparjoy will likely make landfall in Pakistan, with the weather office earlier saying that the depression lay about 1,370 km south of Karachi as of June 7 morning. It will impact the arrival of the monsoon in Mumbai, which is extremely dependent on the water reservoirs that get filled after rain.
The cyclonic storm moved nearly northwards at a speed of 2 kmph in six hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centred over the same region at 5:30 am, about 890 km west-southwest of Goa, 1,000 km southwest of Mumbai, 1,070 km south-southwest of Porbandar and 1,370 km south of Karachi,” the Indian Meteorological Department said in an update today.
It is likely to move nearly northwards and intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and then move north-northwestwards during the subsequent three days, the IMD said. However, it did not predict any major impact on countries along the Arabian Sea, including India, Oman, Iran and Pakistan.
Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the seas. Warnings are expected for the coastal areas as well.
IMPACT ON INDIA
The IMD on Tuesday had said that the cyclone is likely to influence the progress of the monsoon in India. A senior IMD scientist said the southern peninsula will get rain under the influence of the cyclonic storm and a low-pressure system developing in the Bay of Bengal. However, further progress of the monsoon beyond the southern peninsula will happen after the cyclone degenerates.
“The cloud mass is concentrated around this system and enough moisture is not reaching the Kerala coast. Though the criteria for monsoon onset can be met in the next two days, it will not be a thumping start,” Mahesh Palawat, vice president (climate and meteorology), Skymet Weather, said. After the onset over Kerala, the monsoon will remain "weak" until the storm degenerates around June 12, he said.
“The powerful weather system in the Arabian Sea may spoil the advancement of the monsoon deep inland. Under their influence, the monsoon stream may reach coastal parts but will struggle to penetrate beyond the Western Ghats,” Skymet said. Skymet had predicted the onset of the monsoon over Kerala on June 7 with an error margin of three days.
Source: India Today
