Cyclone Biparjoy940 villages without power, Rajasthan to receive heavy rainfall on Friday

Heavy rain and gusty winds brought by the storm uprooted 524 trees and electric poles at various places in wester Gujarat state, snapping the supply of power to around 940 villages, according to state officials. A cattle-rearer and his son died while trying to save their goats stuck in Bhavnagar district, news agency PTI reported on Thursday.

According to Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the Director of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the intensity of Cyclone Biparjoy has weakened to a speed range of 105-115 kmph, resulting in its reclassification as a severe cyclonic storm. On June 16, Rajasthan is expected to experience heavy rainfall. Following the landfall, Cyclone Biparjoy has transitioned from a "very severe" category to a "severe" one. It has made its way from the sea to land, crossing the Saurashtra-Kutch region near the Jakhau port in Gujarat, close to the Pakistan coast. IMD Director Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, as quoted by ANI, stated that heavy rains are anticipated in Rajasthan on June 16.

As per the latest updates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the current storm is expected to undergo a weakening process in the next 24 hours. By the early hours of Friday, the storm is projected to further weaken and transform into a cyclonic storm, characterised by winds of approximately 80 to 90 kmph, with gusts peaking at around 100 kmph.

On Thursday night, Prime Minister Modi had a phone conversation with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to discuss the aftermath of the devastating cyclone 'Biparjoy' that hit the state. During the conversation, the Prime Minister expressed his concern about the situation and inquired about the measures taken by the state administration to ensure the safety of both the people and wildlife.

One particular area of focus for Prime Minister Modi was the well-being of the majestic lions in the Gir forest, a national park known for its thriving lion population. Recognising the significance of preserving these endangered animals, he specifically asked about the steps taken to safeguard them during and after the cyclone.

Cyclone Biparjoy continues to wreak havoc in parts of India's western state of Gujarat, with reports of trees getting uprooted and power lines damaged emerging from different parts of the state. According to officials, some cities in the state went dark as electricity polls collapsed.

Cyclone Biparjoy has made landfall over the Sindh-Kutch border areas. Footage shows torrential downpours and severe winds in Kutch. 

Narendra Singh Bundela, Inspector General (IG) in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) told PTI, "The IMD has predicted that it (Cyclone Biparjoy) will turn into a depression by 12 pm tomorrow (June 16), and its speed will decrease to less than 40 km/hour. There is a possibility of minimal damage". 

Narendra Singh Bundela, Inspector General (IG) in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) told ANI, "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." 

In a statement Navsari district's collector said that in the wake of Cyclone Biparjoy all schools in the district will remain closed on June 16. 

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.

Cyclone Biparjoy made its presence felt along the Mumbai coast with strong winds and high seas. The Indian Meteorological Department issued warnings and all Mumbai beaches were cleared as a precautionary measure. 

The IMD has said that Saurashtra & Kutch Coasts are under cyclone warning. Biparjoy is located at 22.8N and 67.9E, approximately 80km southwest of Jakhau Port (Gujarat) and 130km northwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, said IMD

"Landfall process will commence this evening near Jakhau Port and continue until midnight,” IMD added.

Cyclone Biparjoy, which is about 150 km from the Gujarat coast, is expected to make a landfall at around 9 pm or 10 pm on Thursday (June 15), instead of evening as predicted earlier, with winds ranging between 115 and 125 km/hr, as reported by PTI. 

With cyclone Biparjoy excpected to make a landfall on Thursday night (June15).  nearly 1 lakh people were evacuated from Gujarat. Among them were 1,100 pregnant women, 9,000 children who were shifted to safer shelters in view of the cyclone, reported the Hindustan Times. 

The Western Railway in India has said that 76 trains have been cancelled, 36 short-terminated and 31 short-originated as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and train operations.

Athorities in India and neighbouring Pakistan have evacuated more than 150,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas in the path of cyclone Biparjoy, set to whirl in from the Arabian Sea and make landfall by Thursday night, reports Reuters news agency.

Biparjoy, which means 'disaster' or 'calamity' in the Bengali language, was centred 140 km (87 miles) off Jakhau port in India's western state of Gujarat and 230 km (143 miles) off Pakistan's southern port of Karachi, weather officials said.

"We are expecting the cyclone to make landfall during the evening, around 8 or 8:30 p.m.," said Manorama Mohanty, the Gujarat director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which warned the process could last until midnight. It added that the cyclone could cause tidal waves in the Arabian Sea as high as 2 m to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) that could inundate low-lying coastal areas in both countries.

•  Over 74,000 people evacuated and shifted to shelters from Gujarat's coastal region
• IMD says , cyclone Biparjoy will cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi and Karachi near Jakhau Port between 4-8 PM today
• IMD further has predicted that intensity of rain will increase as cyclone Biparjoy approaches the Gujarat coast

The weather office added that the intensity of rain will increase as cyclone Biparjoy approaches the coast, with isolated places in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall. The administration has shifted people from nearly 120 villages located between zero and 10 km from the seashore in Kutch district.

Cyclone Biparjoy around 180 km away from Jakhau port, landfall by today evening, says Indian Meteorological Department

The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday issued a 'rainfall warning for 11 Indian states. As per the weather agency, heavy rain is expected to begin in Gujarat today (June 15) due to the red alert that was issued earlier for the Saurashtra and Kutch coasts. 

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