Cyclone Shakhti churns up Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast

Cyclone Shakhti, the first cyclonic storm of the post-monsoon season in the Arabian Sea, is churning up the sea, packing a wind speed of 100 kmph and gusting, officials said on Saturday.

Shakhti, which has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, was moving further into the Arabian Sea and lay centred about 420 km away from Dwarka in Gujarat, the weather office said.

It is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach the northwest and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea by Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that Shakhti will recurve and move east-northeastwards from Monday morning, weakening gradually.

Under the influence of the cyclonic storm, sea conditions are likely to be rough to very rough along and off the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and the Pakistan coast until Sunday.

The weather office has warned fishermen not to venture into the northwest Arabian Sea, adjoining areas of the northeast Arabian Sea, central Arabian Sea and along and off the Gujarat-north Maharashtra coasts until Tuesday.

In recent years, storms like Tauktae (2021) and Biparjoy (2023) have formed in the Arabian Sea, which has witnessed fewer cyclones compared to the Bay of Bengal.

The cyclone has been named Shakhti, a name suggested by Sri Lanka as per the convention followed by the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones. The names of the cyclones are suggested by 13 countries in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea rim.