As cyclonic storm Biparjoy intensifies, expect gusty winds in Mumbai today, alert at sea

The severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm over the east-central Arabian Sea on Sunday. In response, the IMD issued an yellow alert for Mumbai and Thane for Monday, indicating gusty winds at isolated places. Over the weekend, strong winds were experienced in parts of the city, with reports of roofs flying off some houses in shanty settlements.IMD officials stated that this was expected due to the storm's impact.
Also See: Cyclone Biparjoy Live
The Coast Guard's western headquarters took pre-emptive measures to ensure the safety of life and property at sea. More than five ships and a Dornier aircraft continued to guide fishing boats and issue warnings along the west coast. This has been done to prevent a recurrence of the 2021 incident where a barge sank during Cyclone Tauktae, leading to 75 deaths.

According to the IMD bulletin issued on Sunday evening, Biparjoy moved nearly north-northeastwards with a speed of 10 kmph in six hours. The storm was centered at 14.30 hours IST with a latitude of 18.4°N and a longitude of 67.7°E. It was approximately 540 km west of Mumbai, 420 km south-southwest of Porbandar, 460 km south-southwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, 550 km south-southwest of Naliya, and 730 km south of Karachi.

The IMD's forecast until June 15 predicts light to moderate rain in parts of Thane, Mumbai and Palghar. The official onset of the monsoon over Mumbai is typically June 11, but this year, it has not yet been met. Last year, the monsoon was declared on June 11 by the IMD.
Meanwhile, high day temperatures persisted in the city, with the maximum recorded at 38.3 degrees Celsius at the IMD's Santacruz observatory on Sunday. This was slightly lower than the previous day's 38.5 degrees Celsius. The Colaba observatory recorded a maximum of 34.5 degrees Celsius, almost the same as the previous day. The minimums were 29.2 and 27.8 at Colaba and Santacruz. The relative humidity recorded by Colaba and Santacruz were 68% and 58%. Areas like Fort, Wadala, and Parel experienced brief drizzles accompanied by strong and gusty winds.

The Coast Guard's remote operating stations and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) are manned 24x7. These centres provide guidance to merchant traffic, coordinated with stakeholders such as ONGC, oil handling operators, DG shipping, port authorities, dhow associations, and state disaster management authorities for contingency measures during cyclons. Coordinated efforts have been undertaken through a series of contingency preparedness meetings in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Lakshadweep.
"We are making relentless efforts to ensure the safe return of most Indian fishing boats to the harbour. We have organized special community interaction programs to raise awareness among the fishing community and enhance safety measures. Radio and TV broadcasts have been utilized for this purpose. Improved coordination between state and central agencies has been maintained," said a Coast Guard official.