Cyclone Vayu won't hit Gujarat, to pass nearby from Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka: IMD

While people in several parts of Gujarat were bracing for Cyclone Vayu for the last few days, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its latest bulletin, on Thursday said that the severe storm formed over the Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep islands has further changed its course of direction and would not hit the western state. However, the tropical cyclone will still pass nearby from Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka and is expected to cause heavy rainfall, accompanied with gusty winds in the region.

"Cyclone Vayu won't hit Gujarat. It will pass nearby from Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka. Its effect will be seen on the coastal regions as there will be heavy wind speed and heavy rain as well," Manorama Mohanty, scientist at Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Ahmedabad, told ANI.

Manorama Mohanty, scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ahmedabad: #CycloneVayu won't hit Gujarat. It will pass nearby from Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka. Its effect will be seen on the coastal regions as there will be heavy wind speed and heavy rain as well pic.twitter.com/tt57jsbjWt

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2019

READ | Cyclone Vayu LIVE: Strong wind hits Gujarat, Maharashtra coast, all beaches in Kokan region shut

Earlier, Vayu was predicted to hit the Gujarat coast anywhere between Veraval in the south and Dwarka in west. The severe storm was likely to affect Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Devbhoomi-Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Gir-Somnath districts of Gujarat. In the wake of IMD's weather forecast, the Vijay Rupani government had shifted around three lakh people from low-lying areas of Saurashtra and Kutch regions.

Meanwhile, fresh breeze has provided much-needed respite to Mumbaikars, bringing in rain and lower temperatures in the financial capital of India. The sea condition also turned turbulent off Maharashtra coast and northern parts of eastcentral Arabian Sea this morning.

In view of this cyclonic formation coupled with high tide, the Maharashtra government has decided to shut off all the beaches in the Konkan region for the next two days. Flight and train services are also partially suspended in both Gujarat and Maharashtra.