Cyclone Biparjoy likely to make landfall between Gujarat's Kutch and Pakistan's Karachi: IMD

New Delhi: Cyclone "Biparjoy" intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" on Sunday morning and is likely to make landfall between Kutch district of Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan on June 15, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The meteorological office has issued a cyclone alert for Saurashtra and Kutch coasts.

"The very severe cyclonic storm 'Biparjoy' (pronounced as "Biporjoy") over the east-central Arabian Sea moved north-north-eastwards with a speed of nine kmph during past six hours, intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and lay centered at 0530 hours over the same region, about 580 km west-southwest of Mumbai, 480 km south-southwest of Porbandar, 530 km south-southwest of Dwarka, 610 km south-southwest of Naliya and 780 km south of Karachi (Pakistan)," the IMD said in a bulletin.

The cyclone is very likely to move nearly northward till the morning of June 14, then move north-northeast wards and "cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) around noon of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph", it said.

Senior Scientist at the IMD, DS Pai, said the exact place where it will make landfall will become clearer in the coming days. There has been considerable uncertainty in the track and intensity of cyclone Biparjoy since it developed on June 6.

According to meteorologists, the storm underwent rapid intensification in the initial days and has sustained its strength due to a warmer Arabian Sea. (PTI)