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A severe cyclonic storm is likely to hit Gujarat on the night of Wednesday, 12 June, with a wind speed of 130-140 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday night.
The Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said the deep depression over east-central and adjoining Southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep lays centred at about 320 km northwest of Aminidivi (Lakshadweep), 680 km south-southwest of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and 840 km south-southeast of Veraval (Gujarat).
"It is very likely to intensify further into a ‘cyclonic storm’ during next 12 hours and into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ in subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move nearly northward and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval and Diu region as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ with wind speed 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph during midnight of 12 June," the Cyclone Warning Division bulletin said.
The state has been put on alert following the IMD prediction.
With the warning of a heavy rainfall in parts of Gujarat, the state government has decided to deploy NDRF personnel in coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch from Tuesday morning.
The government will also put the army, the navy and the coast guard on alert.
"A heavy rain warning has been issued for Saurashtra and Kutch on 13 and 14 June due to the depression in the Arabian Sea which will turn into a severe cyclonic storm," state meteorological department director Jayanta Sarkar told reporters in Ahmedabad.
After the weather warning, the government convened a high-level meeting in which it decided to deploy 15 teams of the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) immediately.
He also aded that the government is monitoring the situation along with the Met department and ISRO.
On Monday, 10 June, the depression over south-east adjoining Lakshadweep and east-central Arabian Sea, moved northwards with a speed of about 31 kilometres per hour.
"It (cyclone) is very likely to cause an adverse impact in terms of wind and rainfall over Saurashtra and Kutch, mainly on 13 and 14 June," a statement by the MeT department said.
The setting of monsoon, which usually happens around 15 June, will be further delayed as the cyclonic storm could disturb its advancement. The monsoon was anyway expected to be delayed by a week due to its late arrival in Kerala, said another official.
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