The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a heavy rainfall and squally winds warning for Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka coasts due to Cyclonic Storm Asna, which is expected to move west-northwestwards over the Arabian Sea and maintain its intensity until September 1st morning.
“The storm is likely to weaken into a depression by the morning of 2nd September,” the IMD said, adding that heavy rainfall and strong winds gusting up to 50 kmph are expected along the Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka coasts till tomorrow.
“Gale wind speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph prevailing over adjoining northwest Arabian Sea off Pakistan coast. Thereafter, the winds would gradually decrease, becoming squally wind speed, reaching 50-60 kmph and gusting to 70 kmph by the evening of 1st September and improving gradually,” the IMD said.
Fishermen are advised not to venture into the northeast and adjoining east-central and west-central Arabian Sea, along and off the Gujarat and adjoining north Maharashtra coasts, and along and off Pakistan coasts during from August 31st till September 2nd.
The weather department also forecasts light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana for the next two days as the well-marked low-pressure area over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression and lay centred over the same region.
“It is likely to move further west-northwestwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur close to Kalingapatnam around midnight of today,” the IMD said.
“Squally weather with wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, and north Odisha and south Andhra Pradesh coasts on August 31st and September 1st,” the IMD added.
Fishermen are advised not to venture into west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal till September 1st, and along and off south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts till September 1st, it said.
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