Severe cyclone Maha to hit Gujarat, likely to intensify on Tuesday: IMD

It is very likely to cross Gujarat coast between Diu and Porbandar as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80 to 90 kmph

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted on Monday that the Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm 'MAHA' is likely to intensify further till the morning of November 5 and then weaken gradually.

According to IMD's weather inference update, the Cyclonic Storm 'MAHA' over east-central and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea continued to move northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during the past six hours.

It lay centered at 2:30 pm today over east-central and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea about 690 km westsouthwest of Veraval (Gujarat), 740 km westsouthwest of Diu and 660 km westsouthwest of Porbandar.

It is very likely to cross Gujarat coast between Diu and Porbandar as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 8090 kmph gusting to 100 kmph early hours of November 7.

Earlier today, IMD predicted that the sea condition was likely to be phenomenal over east-central and adjoining west-central and northwest Arabian Sea and very high to high over the northeast Arabian Sea.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into central and northeast Arabian Sea and Andaman Sea.