Depression over Arabian Sea likely to intensify into Cyclone

New Delhi: A depression over the southeast Arabian Sea, south of Porbandar in Gujarat, is likely to move northwestward and intensify into a cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

The cyclonic storm will be called Cyclone Biparjoy, a name given by Bangladesh. In a bulletin, the Met office said the depression lay about 950 km west-southwest of Goa, 1,100 km south-southwest of Mumbai, 1,190 km south of Porbandar and 1,490 km south of Karachi, Pakistan, at 8:30 am. "It is likely to move nearly northwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm during over east-central Arabian Sea and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea," it said.

The Met office said the cyclonic storm will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Thursday morning and very severe cyclonic storm by Friday evening. Sea conditions are likely to be very high along and off the Kerala-Karnataka coasts and Lakshadweep-Maldives areas on June 6 and Konkan-Goa-Maharashtra coasts from June 8 to June 10.

Fishermen out at sea have been advised to return to the coast. The IMD had Monday said the formation of the low-pressure system over the southeast Arabian Sea and its intensification is expected to critically influence the advance of the monsoon towards the Kerala coast. The weather department, however, did not give a tentative date for the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala.

Private forecasting agency Skymet Weather said the monsoon onset over Kerala may happen on June 8 or June 9 but it is expected to be a "meek and mild entry". "These powerful weather systems in the Arabian Sea spoil the advancement of the monsoon deep inland. Under their influence, the monsoon stream may reach coastal parts but will struggle to penetrate beyond the Western Ghats," it said.

Skymet had earlier predicted the monsoon onset over Kerala on June 7 with an error margin of three days. "The southwest monsoon is likely to arrive within this bracket. Onset criteria require stipulated rainfall on two consecutive days over Lakshadweep, Kerala and coastal Karnataka. Accordingly, the spread and intensity of rainfall may match these requirements on June 8 or June 9. However, the onset of the annual event may not be loud and sound. It may only make a meek and mild entry to start with," the private weather forecasting agency said.