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Will Phet wreak havoc on Gujarat coast in 48 hours?

Cyclone Phet has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and is expected to hit the state’s coastal regions by June 4 with wind speeds of up to 225 km per hour (kmph).

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The rains caused by the tropical cyclone, Phet, on Tuesday and Wednesday brought down temperatures in Ahmedabad and other parts of the state but the next three days remain critical for Gujarat’s coastal areas. The reason is that Cyclone Phet has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and is expected to hit the state’s coastal regions by June 4 with wind speeds of up to 225 km per hour (kmph).

Besides sounding an alert for the whole state, the state government has asked the authorities in four districts — Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh and Kutch — to be prepared to deal with any eventuality.

Officials and employees of government departments in these districts have been asked to return from leave and be present in the district headquarters to monitor the situation. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea, while those who are already in open sea have been asked to return to the coast at the earliest. Specially equipped disaster response teams have been deployed in these districts and also in Rajkot.

Medium to light rainfall was recorded in many parts of the state’s coastal districts including Jamnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Bharuch and Surat. Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Vadodara also experienced rain, officials said.

Cyclone Phet was centred 1,050 km southwest of Naliya (in Kutch district) on Wednesday and was moving in a northwesterly direction. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclone would continue to move in a north-northwesterly direction for the next 24 hours till it is close to the Oman coast. It will then turn east and head for Pakistan and the adjoining Gujarat coast, the IMD said.    

The department further said that, from June 4, the cyclone would cause fairly widespread rain, with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at some places, in the coastal areas of Saurashtra & Kutch. The rain will bring down temperatures further in most parts of the state. Gale winds at 65-75 kmph would begin to blow along and off the Gujarat coast by June 4 and wind speeds are likely to increase to 225 km per hour. The sea off the Gujarat coast will be very rough from Friday, the IMD said.

Talking about the effects of the cyclone on the weather, Kamaljit Ray, director, IMD, Ahmedabad centre, said the city had already experienced relief from the stifling heat of the last few weeks. “In the next two or three days, there would be rainfall in most parts of the state, including Ahmedabad,” Ray said.

Another senior official of the IMD said that the cyclone could have an impact on the advance of the southwest monsoon too. The progress of the monsoon over peninsular India may be delayed by a few days if the cyclone deviates from the expected course.

(With agency inputs)

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