Cyclone off Guj coast moving westward: IMD

AHMEDABAD: The severe cyclonic storm named Shakhti, which formed on Friday off the Gujarat coast, was moving westwards on Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) evening bulletin.“At 1730 hrs IST today, it lay centred about 580km west of Dwarka, 580km west-southwest of Naliya, 510km southwest of Karachi (Pakistan), 390km east of Ras Al Hadd (Oman), and 490 km east-northeast of Masirah (Oman). It is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach the northwest and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea by Oct 5. Thereafter, it will curve and move east-northeastwards from the morning of Oct 6, 2025, and weaken gradually,” the IMD bulletin states.The warning advised fishermen not to venture into the northwest Arabian Sea, along and off the Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts from Oct 4 to 7.A cyclonic circulation with a well-marked low-pressure area over West Jharkhand and adjoining areas of south Bihar is also moving westwards. On Saturday, the temple town of Ambaji witnessed a sudden bout of rain, which left many areas including the main markets waterlogged. In the 24 hours ended Saturday 6am, the pilgrimage town of Dwarka recorded the most rain, 38mm, data from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) showed. Parts of Sabarkantha and Kutch also experienced wet spells.In Ahmedabad, the maximum temperature at 34.2 degrees celsius was 1.5 degrees below normal, and at 25 degrees celsius. On Sunday, the city is likely to experience occasional light rain, the forecast states.The system is likely to bring heavy rainfall on Oct 8 and 9 in parts of south Gujarat and light showers in other parts of the state.