Warnings issued for coastal areas as cyclone approaches
According to the PMD, a shift in upper-level steering winds’ is making it difficult to predict the cyclone’s path.
KARACHI:
The provincial government of Pakistan’s Meteorological Department issued a warning that a cyclonic storm over the Arabian Sea will become stronger over the next day, putting the coast on high alert.
On Saturday, as the very strong cyclone Biparjoy maintained its north/northeastward course, it was believed to be located about 900 kilometers south of Karachi.
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to be a “very severe storm,” thus authorities have ordered fishing villages to shut down for five days.
“BIPARJOY,” a “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm” (VSCS) over the east-central Arabian Sea, has maintained its intensity as it has tracked north-northeastward over the past 12 hours. It is currently located near Latitude 16.7°N & Longitude 66.4°E, about 910 kilometers (km) south of Karachi, 890 km (km) south of Thatta, and 990 km (km) southeast of Ormara.
Authorities have issued a warning for the coastal parts of Sindh and Balochistan, but they have no idea where the cyclone may go in the days ahead.
The weather service issued a warning, saying that due to a change in upper-level steering winds, global forecast models are conflicting, with some forecasting landfall along the coast of Markan and north Oman and others indicating a path towards the coast of Sindh and Indian Gujarat.
It went on to say that because of this “uncertainty,” forecasters expected the system to continue moving north and northeast over the following 18 to 24 hours before making a modest recurve to the north and northwest.
The PMD bulletin continued, “rain-thunderstorm with some heavy falls and squally winds are expected in the Sindh-Makran coast from June 13 evening/night onwards” due to the north-northeast track of Biparjoy.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the cyclone’s expected effect in the Southeast Arabian Sea, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) issued critical safety measures. The purpose of these rules is to protect vessels and port infrastructure from damage during storms.
