IMD says rare August cyclone likely to form over Arabian Sea on Friday

NEW DELHI: In a rare meteorological phenomenon in the month of August, a cyclone is brewing over Saurashtra-Kutch region of Gujarat which is expected to emerge over the Arabian Sea on Friday and travel towards the Oman coast.

A national bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deep depression over Saurashtra and Kutch is likely to move west-southwestwards and emerge over the northeast Arabian Sea off Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts and intensify into a cyclonic storm on Friday.

It will be called Cyclone Asna, a name suggested by Pakistan, when it intensifies into a cyclonic storm.

Only three cyclonic storms have developed over the Arabian Sea in August from 1891 to 2023.

This will be the first cyclonic storm to develop over the Arabian Sea in August since 1976, the weather office said.

The cyclone in 1976 developed over Odisha, moved west-northwestwards, emerged into Arabian Sea, made a looping track and weakened over northwest Arabian Sea near Oman coast, it said.