Ahmedabad: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said that a deep depression that caused torrential rains and severe flooding in Gujarat has intensified into “Cyclone Asna”. The cyclone is now located off the coast of Kutch and the adjoining areas of Pakistan.
This marks the first cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea in August since 1976. The name “Asna,” chosen by Pakistan, translates to “the one to be acknowledged or praised.”
Cyclonic storms in Arabian Sea
According to the IMD, only three cyclonic storms have formed in the Arabian Sea during August between 1891 and 2023: in 1976, 1964 and 1944.
The 1976 cyclone originated over Odisha, moved west-northwestward, entered the Arabian Sea, followed a looping path, and eventually weakened near the Oman coast. The 1944 cyclone intensified after moving into the Arabian Sea before weakening. The 1964 cyclone, which developed near the South Gujarat coast, was short-lived and weakened as it approached the coast, as reported by PTI.
How will Cyclone Asna impact Gujarat?
The deep depression over Kutch and adjoining areas, including parts of Pakistan and the Northeast Arabian Sea, has been moving westward at a speed of 6 kmph over the past six hours. It intensified into Cyclone Asna, which was centred at 11.30 am over the same region, nearly 190 km west-northwest of Bhuj, Gujarat.
The cyclone is expected to continue moving nearly west-northwestward over the northeast Arabian Sea, away from the Indian coast, over the next two days.
Severe rains in Gujarat have led to 26 deaths over the past three days. More than 18,000 people have been relocated, and around 1,200 have been rescued from flood-affected areas, as reported by PTI. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said that in some cases, security forces used helicopters to evacuate people to safer locations.
Vadodara, one of the hardest-hit cities, received some relief as the water level in the Vishwamitri river dropped from 37 feet to 32 feet in the morning. However, several low-lying areas continue to be inundated. The river had exceeded the danger mark of 25 feet on Tuesday morning due to heavy rains and water releases from the Ajwa Dam.
