Schools Shut In Mumbai, Parts Of Maharashtra As Cyclone Ockhi Nears: 10 Facts

People in Mumbai have been advised not to visit beaches in view of high tide ahead of Cyclone Ochki..

Highlights

MeT predicts Cyclone Ockhi will weaken before it hits near Surat
Schools in 4 districts of Maharashtra, Mumbai have been closed tomorrow
Ockhi has battered parts of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands

Mumbai: Rains started in Mumbai this afternoon as Cyclone Ockhi, after causing devastation in Kerala, crept towards the Maharashtra-Gujarat coast. The meteorological office predicts that it will weaken before it hits and settle over Gulf of Kambhat near Surat as a deep depression by Tuesday night. Schools in four districts of Maharashtra, and the Mumbai Metropolitan area, have been closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure. The number of deaths in the rain-related incidents in Kerala ahead of the cyclone has been put at 25.

Here are the 10 updates in this big story:

The India Meteorological Department said Ockhi is now located around "850 km south-southwest of Surat and is likely to cross south Gujarat and adjoining North Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by mid-night of December 5."
The weatherman says Maharashtra will witness moderate rainfall at a few places over north Konkan including Mumbai. Heavy rainfall and high-speed winds can be expected on Tuesday in areas near the coast. The sea will be rough and fishermen have been asked not to venture out.
The Maharashtra government has declared precautionary holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurga, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts in view of students' safety.
The Disaster management unit of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has also advised people against visiting beaches in view of high tide alert issued for Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today visited Kerala which bore the brunt of the cyclone over the week-end and assured Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of all help. The rescue operations, she said, will continue till every missing fishermen has been brought back safely.
In a tweet on Sunday, the defence minister said nearly 390 fishermen from the state had been rescued. Around 100 fishermen are still missing. Naval ships, helicopters, Coast Guard vessels and Air Force planes are engaged in the rescue and relief operations. The Coast Guard says all their ships will be on duty till the crisis is over.
The defence minister visited the fishing villages of Vizhinjam and Poonthura, from where most of the fishermen have been reported missing. "They (fishing community) are in deep distress...I can see it," she said.
The fishermen's demand for including some of their men in the rescue team had been accepted and already 11 of them have joined the Navy boats and helicopters engaged in the operations, Ms Sitharaman said.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has donated Rs 2 crore from the Chief Minister's relief fund to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to provide relief to the victims of Cyclone Ockhi.
Ockhi, which in Bengali means 'eye', is a cyclonic storm which has battered parts of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands.