Gujarat News Live Updates: Heavy rains likely in Saurashtra-Kutch districts, Cyclone Asna moves away from coast

On August 27, IAF commenced relief ops for flooded cities of Gujarat. During round-the-clock operations by IAF over three days, 18 people were airlifted and over 3500 essential supply packs air-dropped.

Visuals from Kachchh where restoration and re-operation of roads damaged due to heavy rains is in progress on war footing.

India recorded around 16 per cent more rainfall than normal in August, with rainfall over Northwest India recorded at 253.9 mm, the second highest in August since 2001, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

Addressing a virtual press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the country recorded 287.1 mm of rainfall in August, compared to the normal 248.1 mm.

Overall, India has received 749 mm of precipitation against the normal 701 mm since the start of the monsoon season on June 1.

Several districts in the foothills of the Himalayas and the northeast experienced below-normal rainfall as most of the low-pressure systems moved south of their usual position, and the monsoon trough also remained south of its typical position, the IMD chief said.

Many states in the northeast, along with Kerala and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, experienced deficient rainfall, he added. (PTI)

Flood-affected people being give food packets and cashdoles as they leave a shelter home in Dwarka town in Devbhumi Dwarka district after flood waters receded on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Gujarat Information Department

On Cyclone Asna, IMD scientist Dr Soma Sen Roy said while talking to ANI, "Cyclone Asna is located in the northeast Arabian Sea. This system is moving westward at the speed of 13-15 km/hr. Its location is moving gradually from north Arabian Sea to northwest...It is a very rare situation that the low-pressure area is crossing the entire Indian subcontinent and becoming a cyclone after going into the sea by crossing Gujarat...It is rare but we had forecast for this and we have been issuing warnings for the same in Gujarat..."

Pakistani authorities on Saturday warned of heavy rains and gusty winds lashing the coastal areas of the country due to a cyclonic storm over the Arabian Sea, reports PTI.

The cyclonic storm Asna has moved further westward during the past nine hours and now lies about 200km southwest of Karachi, according to an advisory by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

It also said that the storm system is likely to track further west-southwestwards.

Under its influence, the PMD said, rain-thundershowers accompanied by squally winds were likely in Karachi division, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari, Jamshoro and Dadu districts of Sindh till August 31.

Cyclones in India, intensifying in the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea, are more common during the pre-monsoon March-May and the post-monsoon October-December periods. The strongest of these storms have developed during May and November. Due to strong monsoon currents and other unfavourable ocean factors, systems rarely intensify into cyclones during the June-September monsoon season — making Cyclone Asna a rare development.

The weather system has already caused extreme weather in the state. On Friday, Gujarat’s Rajkot, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Vadodara, Kutch and Saurashtra regions received very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. In its latest forecast, the IMD said heavy rainfall (64-115 mm in 24 hours) will continue over Gujarat till Saturday. After a brief lull, heavy rainfall is expected over the Kutch-Saurashtra region on September 2 and 3.

Cyclonic storm Asna over northeast Arabian Sea is likely to continue to move west-northwestwards away from the Indian coast during next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Saturday.

Heavy to very heavy rains are expected at isolated places in the districts of Saurashtra-Kutch namely Jamnagar, Porbandar, Dwarka and Kutch.