The cyclone is nearing the Saurashtra and Kutch coasts.
The eye of Biparjoy, the powerful cyclone set to hit the Gujarat coast by midnight, is about 50 km in diameter, a top official said today and warned of heavy rainfall.
The landfall process has begun over the coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch, said Mrutunjay Mohapatra, Director General, India Meteorological Department.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall are prevailing in the districts and would gradually increase, he said, adding that heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is also expected.
The cyclone is nearing the Saurashtra and Kutch coasts with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph. With this wind speed, it would hit the coast near Jakhau port, between Mandvi and Pakistan's Karachi, added Mr Mohapatra.
The cyclone is now moving with a speed of 15 kmph and the landfall process will continue till midnight, he said.
"When the forward sector of the eye reaches the land, there will be strong winds followed by a sudden lull," the official said, warning that people should not mistake this as the end of the cyclone.
The rear end of the eye will bring another bout of heavy rain and one should not venture out until there's an official announcement, he said.
The centre of the cyclone is called its eye, which is surrounded by the eye wall or wall cloud, where the most destruction takes place.
Nearly a lakh people have been shifted to cyclone shelters and disaster response teams are on standby.