Rain clouds fill the sky on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Cyclone Nisarga in the Arabian Sea was barreling toward India's business capital Mumbai on Tuesday, threatening to deliver high winds and flooding to an area already struggling with the nation's highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday declared that Cyclone Nisarga has become a severe cyclonic storm which is just 200 km away from Mumbai. The cyclone is moving in the north-eastern direction towards Alibag in Raigad district. The severe cyclonic storm nisarga is likely cross south of Alibag between 1pm to 3pm. Meanwhile, the NDRF team has been deployed at Suvali Beach in Surat.
11 facts about Cyclone Nisarga that you must know:
- Cyclone Nisarga will be the first storm to hit Mumbai in 129 years.
- Cyclone Nisarga is expected to make landfall between Harihareshwar near Alibaug in Maharashtra and Daman on June 3.
- Nisarga is the first cyclone to be named from the new list that was released in April 2020. The list of names that came into effect in 2004 ended with Amphan being the final one.
- Cyclone Nisarga is also the second cyclone in the Arabian Sea within a week.
- 'Nisarga', which is currently brewing in the Arabian Sea, means nature and was termed by India's neighbouring country -- Bangladesh.
- Nisarga is the second cyclonic storm of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The first was Cyclone Amphan, which hit West Bengal on May 20.
- As an Arabian Sea cyclone, Nisarga is pretty rare. The Arabian Sea has a long-term average of just one cyclone a year.
- Cyclone Nisarga will be passing extremely close to Mumbai while it makes landfall and so is expected to have a significant impact on the city.
- Cyclone Nisarga is expected to cause widespread rainfall over the northern part of India's west coast.
- Cyclone Nisarga will bring a 'storm surge', i.e. a temporary rise in sea levels.
- It is likely to evolve into a Severe Cyclonic Storm, which, roughly stated, is of strength 2 on a 1-to-5 of strength of cyclones that arise in the Indian Ocean.
STAY CALM! STAY SAFE!
