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 12:31 · Arpan Rai]

Home state to wild animals and Asiatic lions battered in severe cyclonic storm

Cyclone Biparjoy has pushed the Gujarat government to deploy forces to rescue wild animals as the western Indian state reeled from heavy impact.

At least 184 rapid action squads have been deployed to rescue wild animals and to clear fallen trees in the Gir National Park, home to nearly 700 Asiatic lions, officials said.

[16 June 2023 13:05 · Arpan Rai]

Intensity of cyclone abates in India – official

The heavy cyclonic has shown initial signs of slowing down as it continues to move along India and Pakistan’s coastline, officials said today.

“Cyclone Biporjoy has moved north-eastwards and it is now located near Dholavira in Kachchh district of Gujarat. The intensity of the cyclone has slightly reduced, now it is a cyclone storm with windspeed of 80-90 km per hour (49-455 miles per hour),” said Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, director-general at the Indian Metereological Department.

[16 June 2023 13:42 · Arpan Rai]

Over 625,000 children at immediate risk in Pakistan and India, says UN

More than 625,000 children were at immediate risk in Pakistan and India as cyclone Biparjoy has become one of the largest cyclonic storms to have hit the region, the UN warned.

“In Pakistan, Cyclone Biparjoy threatens a new crisis for children and families in Sindh, the province worst affected by last year’s devastating floods,” Noala Skinner, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, said.

A 2021 study found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea had increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, and experts say the increase will continue, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.

[16 June 2023 14:05 · Arpan Rai]

Residents of India’s coastal regions evacuate ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy landfall

Thousands of people were evacuated from the coastal regions of India that were on high alert on Wednesday 14 June, ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy’s expected landfall.

Fishing activities have been suspended in India and neighbouring Pakistan until Friday.

Residents living within three miles of the coast in Gujarat were evacuated, and those living within six miles may also have to move out, officials have said.

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