Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has cautioned that Cyclone Tauktae will intensify in the east central Arabian Sea by Monday night, with wind speed reaching 180-190 kmph gusting to 210 kmph likely to prevail during the next six hours.
The department has warned of tidal waves of upto 3 metres hitting the coasts of Amreli, Gir Somnath, Diu and Bhavnagar of Gujarat.
The IMD said that gale wind speed reaching 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph is prevailing over adjoining northeast Arabian Sea. It would gradually increase becoming 170-180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph from forenoon for subsequent 12 hours and decrease thereafter. The storm also added to the challenge facing India's hospitals and COVID centre in multiple states. Before it hits Gujarat, take a look at how this cyclonic storm wreak havoc in other parts of the state in last two days:
Stormy winds and heavy rains caused by Cyclone Tauktae claimed two lives and uprooted more than 1,000 trees in Goa, disrupting normal life and road traffic and causing power outage in most parts.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, "Two people lost their lives because of the cyclone. A woman of around 30-35 years died after a coconut tree fell on her at Mapusa town (in North Goa). Another accident occurred at Marcel where two youth were going on a scooter and an electric pole fell on them and one of them lost his life while he was being rushed to hospital."
Cyclone Tauktae hit Mumbai on Monday with full rage resulting heavy rains, along with gusty gales of over 60-75 km/hr, which created damage by uprooting scores of trees, damaged some homes, and disrupted traffic.
Categorised now as 'Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm', its effects were felt shortly after midnight of Sunday-Monday with many areas lashed by heavy rains, accompanied by lightning and thunder in some places, aggravated by powerful winds. Rains from the storm have killed over 10 people in Kerala, Karnataka and Goa over the weekend as it moved along the India’s western coastline. Houses were destroyed and electricity was disrupted across several districts in these states.
(With agency inputs)