Ockhi heads to Surat with near-cyclone strength

The very severe cyclone, Ockhi, has not weakened, as expected earlier, but barrelling north-north-east towards the South Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast on Monday evening.

This means Ockhi will retain its near-cyclone strength as it hits Surat in South Gujarat where it is expected to make a landfall by Tuesday midnight.

The India Met Department (IMD) located the system 600 km north-north-west of Amini Divi (Lakshadweep), 670 km south-south-west of Mumbai and 850 km south-south-west of Surat.

Heavy rain has been forecast over North Madhya Maharashtra, North Konkan (including Mumbai) and South Gujarat. Squally winds with speeds reaching up to 60 km/hr and gusting to 70 km/hr are likely along these coasts tomorrow.

Sea conditions will be rough to very rough along these coasts, while strong surface winds reaching speeds of 35 km/hr and gusting to 45 km/hr are likely over parts of South Gujarat and North Madhya Maharashtra. Fishermen on these coasts have been advised not to venture out.

Diverting forecasters attention from Ockhi is a depression developing to the other side of the peninsula over the Bay of Bengal

The preparatory, well-marked low-pressure area, was located over South-East Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea and adjoining Equatorial Indian Ocean.

It is forecast to become a depression over South-East Bay and neighbourhood by Tuesday and become a deep depression by Thursday/Friday.

The IMD sees it travelling towards the North Tamil Nadu-South Andhra Pradesh coast by the weekend, though it doesn’t say whether it would attain a tropical cyclone status.

In all probability it may not, given the overwhelming presence of the western disturbance over North-West India that prevailed over the once powerful very severe cyclone Ockhi and redirected it, and now weaken it.

The disturbance would still not have exited North India fully by the time the deep depression in the Bay approaches the Chennai and adjoining South Andhra Pradesh coast.

Available forecasts suggest that this disturbance would stop the deep depression in its tracks and weaken it, before allowing entry to the South Andhra Pradesh coast by the weekend.

The IMD said that heavy rain has been lashing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the parent well-marked ‘low’ loomed in its neighbourhood.

Fishermen from the islands have been advised not to venture out into the rough seas, while their counterparts on the along the Tamil Nadu coast have been told not to go out into the deep seas tomorrow and the day after.

While the alert for heavy to very heavy rain for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has been withdrawn, South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been warned of heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Our Delhi Bureau adds: The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) Chaired by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on Monday evening reviewed the relief and rescue operations in States and Union Territories affected by the ongoing cyclone Ockhi.

The Committee also took stock of the preparedness activities in Maharashtra and Gujarat which are likely to be impacted by the cyclone, official sources said. Necessary advisories have been issued to fishermen and others.

The Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have taken necessary steps to deal with any eventualities occurring in their respective States.

The Cabinet Secretary held a video conference with the Chief Secretaries and the senior officers of the affected States and UTs to review situation. The meeting was also attended by the officials of Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Defence, Indian Navy, India Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian Meteorological Department, etc.

A total of 243 fishermen in Tamil Nadu, 250 in Kerala and 1047 persons in Lakshadweep have been rescued so far. Relief material is also being provided to inmates in relief camps set up by the government agencies.