Cyclone Nisarga to turn 'severe' by June 3; will impact Mumbai: IMD

Cyclone nisarga: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said that the depression in the Arabian Sea is likely to intensify into a severe cyclone and cross the north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts on June 3, and will have an impact on Mumbai.

The depression will intensify into a deep depression --- the third and fourth stage of any cyclone formation --- by this evening. It will intensify into a cyclonic storm by June 2, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said.

"It (the storm) is very likely to move nearly northwards initially till June 2 morning and then recurve north-northeastwards and cross north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts between Harihareshwar (Raigad, Maharashtra) and Daman during evening/night of June 3," the Cyclone Warning Division said.

The nearly 260 km patch between Raigad and Daman has one of the highest population densities in the country. Apart from Mumbai, it also has satellites cities like Thane, Navi-Mumbai, Panvel, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, Badlapur and Ambernath.

"It will have an impact on Mumbai," IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told PTI.

When it crosses the coast on the evening of June 3, it will have a speed of 105-110 kmph, the IMD said. Heavy rains are also expected in south Gujarat and coastal Maharashtra.

The well-marked low-pressure area over Southeast and adjoining Eastcentral Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep area concentrated into a depression over Eastcentral and adjoining Southeast Arabian Sea and lay centred at 0530 hours IST of Monday, IMD said. It also added that conditions are becoming favourable for onset of Southwest Monsoon over Kerala.

The weather agency has predicted thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (speed reaching 40-50 kmph) at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha with lightning and gusty winds (speed reaching 30-40 kmph) at isolated places over Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Maharashtra and Goa along with other States. Meanwhile, Delhi is likely to witness partly cloudy sky with possibility of development of thunder and lightning today.