Cyclone may cause heavy rain in coastal Karnataka, Kerala

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday warned that the very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy is expected to intensify further in the next 12 hours and move northwards.

The Met department issued a heavy rainfall alert for Kerala and coastal Karnataka for the next three days, and Lakshadweep for the next two days, even as the rest of the country struggled with relentless heat.

The maximum temperature in Delhi touched a high of 41.8°C on Saturday, two degrees above normal. At the city's Najafgarh station, the mercury touched 43.5°C.

According to IMD's forecast, Biparjoy was centred over east-central Arabian sea, about 700km west-northwest of Goa, 620km west-southwest of Mumbai, 590km south-southwest of Porbandar and 900km south of Karachi.

"It is likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move nearly northwards and reach near the Pakistan coast around evening of June 15," said IMD.

The cyclone is likely to pass at a distance of 200-300km from the Porbandar coast but will bring thunderstorms and strong wind to the western state in the next five days.

Fishers have been warned against venturing into the Arabian Sea till June 15.

Authorities have dispatched teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Porbandar, Gir Somnath and Valsad districts.