Tropical Cyclone Vayu Barrels Toward India’s Northwest Coast

Download Image Download Image of the Tropical Cyclone Vayu

Some 300,000 people living in low-lying areas of India’s Gujarat state were evacuated ahead of Tropical Cyclone Vayu, according to local media reports. In this Suomi-NPP view from June 13, 2019, you can see Vayu tracking toward the northwest coast of India.

As of 8 a.m. ET, Vayu had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph with 135 mph gusts, which is the equivalent of a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Vayu is located about 300 miles south-southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, and is expected to turn westward rather than making landfall, according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

While the center of the storm isn’t expected to come ashore, storm surge remains a concern. India’s Meteorological Department warned that a storm surge of up to 4 feet is “likely to inundate the low-lying coastal areas in the districts Gir Somnath, Diu, Junagarh, Porbandar and Devbhoomi Dwarka.” As Vayu skirts the coast, it could also destroy thatched houses, flood major roads, and disrupt railways and power lines, the country’s meteorological department added. India’s government also advised fisherman to avoid venturing out into the Arabian Sea due to rough conditions.

If Vayu doesn't turn away from land and its center comes ashore in northwestern India, according to NOAA’s historical tropical cyclone database, it would be only the fourth Category 2 storm to make landfall in the region since 1982.

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