The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a cyclone warning for Gujarat’s Saurashtra-Kachchh coast.
A deep depression over the Kachchh coast and adjoining areas of Pakistan and the northeast Arabian Sea is likely to intensify into Cyclonic Storm Asna on Friday, the weather agency said.
The storm was named by Pakistan.
The weather system is located about 190-km west-northwest of Bhuj and about 100-km west-northwest of Naliya in Gujarat and 170-km southeast of Karachi in Pakistan.
In the Kachchh district, authorities have asked families living in informal settlements to evacuate to schools, temples or other safe buildings, reported PTI.
Parts of Kachchh and Saurashtra witnessed heavy rainfall between 6 am and 2 pm on Friday, including Mundra, Patan-Veraval, Dwarka, and Anjar.
At least 28 people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the past three days in Gujarat while 40,000 people have already been evacuated from flood-prone areas.
Saurashtra and Kachchh received 799 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 29, which is 86% more than the normal 430.6 mm for the period, reported PTI.
Cyclones rarely form in the Arabian Sea during August. Since 1981, this has happened only thrice, in 1976, 1964 and 1944.
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