Cyclone Biparjoy – live: Two dead and nearly 1000 villages without power as storm weakens

Eye of the cyclone, churning across the Arabian Sea for more than 10 days, was located around 20km southwest of Indian port

High tide and strong winds witnessed as ‘Biparjoy’ approaches India coast

A man and his son died in India’s Gujarat state as they attempted to save their livestock in the region hit by cyclone Biparjoy, officials said today.

The longest cyclone to have struck the Arabian Sea, Biparjoy knocked out power in nearly 1000 villages and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India before moving to Pakistan where lashing winds and rain are expected to strike a part struck by devastating floods last year.

The storm made landfall a night earlier, packing windspeeds of 85 kph (53 mph), gusting up to 105 kph (86 mph) through the coastal regions of western India’s Gujarat state. Pakistani authorities were on high alert after evacuating 82,000 people.

The eye of the cyclone, which was churning across the Arabian Sea for more than 10 days, was located around 20km southwest of Jakhau port, 120km northwest of Devbhumi Dwarka and 50 km west-southwest of Naliya, reported Press Trust of India.

Recent studies show cyclones in the Arabian Sea are getting stronger and wetter as the sea surface temperature increased by 1.2C to 1.4C in recent decades.

Key Points

• Cyclone Biparjoy’s landfall completed after midnight along Indian coast
• Cyclone Biparjoy lashes Indian coast, weakens into cyclonic storm
• Over 180,000 people evacuated ahead of cyclone Biparjoy landfall
• Cyclone Biparjoy track: Map shows path of storm
• Flooding may damage homes and power lines, experts warn
• What is a Cyclone and how is it affected by rising sea temperatures?

[16 June 2023 07:49 · Arpan Rai]

Two people rescued in Gujarat by Indian forces

At least two people stranded in Gujarat’s Rupen Bandar in a low-lying area have been rescued by the Indian National Disaster Relief Forces after cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in the coastal state.

[16 June 2023 08:34 · Arpan Rai]

Satellite view of Cyclone Biparjoy shows storm visible from space

Satellite visuals of cyclone Biparjoy have been captured by Nasa, right before it turned into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ around the western coast of India and southern Pakistan, moving upwards from Arabian Sea.

“The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite acquired this natural-color image of the storm on 14 June, a day before it was forecast to make landfall,” Nasa said.

It added that the “long-lived cyclone had wind speeds of 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour on 14 June, making it a category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale”.

(Earth Observatory/ NASA)

[16 June 2023 08:50 · Arpan Rai]

Cyclone Biparjoy to morph into deep depression near Indian coast

The weakening cyclone Biparjoy spinning along India and Pakistan has moved east-northeastwards today, top officials at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) have said.

It is now centered 30kms from Gujarat’s Bhuj and by evening, it is expected to convert into a deep depression over Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining areas with 50-60kmph gusting to 70kmph, Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, director-general at IMD said.

[16 June 2023 09:25 · Arpan Rai]

Cyclone Biparjoy kills 2, uproots power lines after landfall in India, churns toward Pakistan

Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India before aiming its lashing winds and rain at part of Pakistan that suffered devastating floods last year.

A man and his son died trying to save their livestock in Gujarat state, where the storm came ashore late Thursday after more than 180,000 people took shelter in the two countries.

The storm made landfall a night earlier, packing windspeeds of 85 kph (53 mph), gusting up to 105 kph (86 mph) through the coastal regions of western India’s Gujarat state. Pakistani authorities were on high alert after evacuating 82,000 people.

Read the full story here:

[16 June 2023 09:31 · Arpan Rai]

Cyclone Biparjoy sets record as longest typhoon over Arabian Sea

The Indian Meteorological Department said Cyclone Biporjoy has set a record for the longest lifespan over the Arabian Sea with a lifespan or more than 10 days. Cyclone Kyarr of 2019 over the Arabian Sea had a life of 9 days, it said.

[16 June 2023 10:05 · Arpan Rai]

Road cleared out in India’s Gujarat after cyclone landfall

The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel were seen conducting road clearance operation in Bhuj after cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ made landfall along the Gujarat coast yesterday.

[16 June 2023 10:28 · Arpan Rai]

Live: Coastline in India’s Gujarat state, a day after cyclone Biparjoy made landfall

[16 June 2023 11:35 · Arpan Rai]

Nearly 1000 villages without electricity after cyclone landfall

Around 1,000 villages along India’s Kutch-Saurashtra region are without electricity in the aftermath of cyclone Biparjoy, officials said.

The heavy rain and storms caused by the cyclone damaged 5,120 electricity poles, according to reports.

Initially, the “very severe cyclonic storm” brewing in the Arabian Sea had caused a power outage in 4,600 villages in the region’s coastal districts. By this noon local time power supply was restored in 3,580 villages.

[16 June 2023 12:05 · Arpan Rai]

Flooded roads, uprooted trees seen in Gujarat after cyclone landfall

[16 June 2023 12:05 · Arpan Rai]

Cyclone Biparjoy triggers evacuation of 100,000 in India

About 100,000 people evacuated in western India have been temporarily relocated to relief camps, authorities in western India said today after cyclone Biparjoy made a landfall.

The full extent of the damage in western India was not immediately known. In addition to the two deaths, three people were injured in nearby Devbhoomi Dwarka district, officials said.

The storm did other damage upon landfall, including uprooting trees and electricity poles. Officials in the coastal town of Mandvi told the Associated Press that heavy winds had thrown some shipping containers at Mundra port, one of India’s largest ports, into the sea.