Cyclone Biparjoy, the first storm brewing in the Arabian Sea this year, has rapidly intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, with meteorologists predicting a "mild" monsoon onset over Kerala and "weak" progress beyond southern peninsular under its influence.
"Cyclonic storm Biparjoy (pronounced as "Biporjoy") over east-central and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of 2 kmph during the last six hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centred over the same region at 0530 hours, about 890 km west-southwest of Goa, 1,000 km southwest of Mumbai, 1,070 km south-southwest of Porbandar and 1,370 km south of Karachi," the IMD said in an update around 8:30 am.
Forecasting agencies said the storm has been undergoing "rapid intensification".
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS on Cyclone Biparjoy:
#CycloneBiparjoy is moving in northerly direction may turn to NNW by tomorrow afternoon. Track is shown in picture. No landfall over Indian mainland. Strong winds and rough Sea conditions over #Karnataka, #Maharashtra and #Gujarat coast. @SkymetWeather @JATINSKYMET pic.twitter.com/gbQSPRkTjn
- Mahesh Palawat (@Mpalawat) June 7, 2023
- Cyclone Biparjoy intensified by 40 knots (74 kmph) since Tuesday morning, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC), the US Department of Defense's agency responsible for issuing tropical cyclone warnings for the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- The IMD had on Tuesday said the cyclone is likely to influence the monsoon progress.
- After the onset over Kerala, the monsoon will remain "weak" until the storm degenerates around June 12, he said.
- The southeast monsoon arrived in the southern state on May 29 last year, June 3 in 2021, June 1 in 2020, June 8 in 2019 and May 29 in 2018.
- Northwest India is expected to see normal to below-normal rainfall. East and northeast, central, and south peninsula are expected to receive normal rainfall at 94-106 per cent of the long-period average of 87 centimetres.
