After a long time, any cyclonic storm will be practically affecting the state of Gujarat. Till now, most of the cyclonic storm had been moving in the west direction towards the Oman coast.
The state of Gujarat is vulnerable to cyclones both in pre-Monsoon and post-Monsoon seasons. However, in the last decade, there has been no cyclone that has hit the state directly.
For instance, in the first week of June 2010, Severe Cyclone Phet had a long sea journey which was formed in the Arabian Sea and it then hit Oman. On recurving again, it entered the Arabian Sea and threatened Gujarat. It then headed towards Pakistan as a weakened system.
In 2014, there were two storms, one in the pre-Monsoon and the other in the post-Monsoon season. Cyclone Naunak remained in the Arabian Sea only and it fizzled out as the moment it came to the north of the Arabian Sea. Cyclone Nilofer was seen in the month of October and it too met with the same fate.
The latest one in history is Cyclone Ockhi in 2017 which was formed in the latter part of the month of November. Inclement weather conditions were seen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and killed hundreds of people during the same. It then headed towards the Arabian Sea and had a long sea journey. It then re-curved and posed a threat to the state of Gujarat. However, just before hitting the coast, it weakened.
The Cyclones in the pre-Monsoon season have a history of brewing up in the Arabian Sea but they generally don’t strike Gujarat. They generally fizzle out before hitting the coast as the Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) in the North Arabian Sea is cooler than the south. Vertical wind shear is also high due to proximity to the coast. These conditions are not conducive for intensification of the system.
Image Credit: DNA India
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