Cyclone Biparjoy – live: Four dead as India and Pakistan brace for ‘heavy damage’

Stuti Mishra

A severe cyclone is inching closer to India and Pakistan as the South Asian countries evacuated tens of thousands of people, with four deaths already reported from worsening conditions.

Named Biparjoy, which means “disaster” in Bengali, the very severe cyclone is forecasted to make landfall between India’s Kutch region in Gujarat and Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi tomorrow with more evacuations ongoing.

High tides, strong winds, and rainfall is already lashing several regions in western India, including Mumbai. Out of the four deaths reported, three were young boys who drowned off Mumbai’s coast, while a woman was killed due to an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone was now packing maximum sustained winds of up to 145kph, gusting up to 150kph.

The coastal regions in both countries are on high alert today as storm continues its northwestern journey. It was last spotted about 280 km west-southwest of Gujarat’s Jakhau Port and 340km south-southwest of Karachi.

Recent studies show cyclones in the Arabian Sea are getting stronger and wetter as the sea surface temperature increases by 1.2C to 1.4C in recent decades.

Key Points

  • Four dead in India amid extreme weather prompted by cyclone Biparjoy

  • Red alert in India and Pakistan as tens of thousands evacuated

  • When and where is cyclone Biparjoy making landfall?

  • Cyclone Biparjoy path: Track where the very severe storm is headed

Wednesday 14 June 2023 10:14 , Stuti Mishra

Welcome to The Independent‘s blog with all the updates on the very severe cyclone, Biparjoy, heading towards the coast of India and Pakistan. Stay tuned for the latest.

Cyclone Biparjoy inches close to India and Pakistan

Wednesday 14 June 2023 10:22 , Stuti Mishra

A severe cyclone is inching closer to India and Pakistan bringing high tides and heavy gusts of winds and prompting mass evacuation in both countries.

The cyclone, which is currently packing gusts of up to 150kph, is expected to make landfall tomorrow impacting the western parts of India, including the Gujarat state and coastal Maharashtra and southern parts of Pakistan.

Karachi and Mumbai, the financial capitals of Pakistan and India are expected to be impacted the cyclone.

Red alert in India and Pakistan as tens of thousands evacuated

Wednesday 14 June 2023 10:24 , Stuti Mishra

Coastal regions of India and Pakistan are on a red alert as cyclone Biparjoy approaches India and Pakistan tomorrow, prompting evacuations of tens of thousands of people.

Residents living within 5km of the coast in Gujarat were evacuated, and those living within 10km may also have to move out, officials have said.

In Pakistan, disaster management personnel were deployed to ensure coastal communities were moved to shelters.

Both countries are experiencing heavy gusts of winds and high tides, posing danger to coastal communities and infrastructure.

Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)

When and where is cyclone Biparjoy making landfall?

Wednesday 14 June 2023 10:45 , Stuti Mishra

Cyclone Biparjoy, which originated in the Arabian sea, is heading towards India's Gujarat and Pakistan's Sindh as a very severe cyclone.

The cyclonic storm is expected to make a landfall tomorrow near Jakhau port in the Kutch district of Gujarat, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said today.

The cyclone is now packing maximum sustained winds of up to 145kph. It was last spotted about 280km west-southwest of Jakhau Port and 340km south-southwest of Karachi.

Heavy rainfall in Gujarat as cyclone Biparjoy inches closer

Wednesday 14 June 2023 11:00 , Stuti Mishra

India’s weather department in its latest update said Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch region are experiencing “heavy to very heavy rainfall” today ahead of cyclone Biparjoy’s landfall.

The severe cyclone is expected to make landfall in the Kutch district of Gujarat, but its impact is being felt in the form of high tides and wind gusts as far as Mumbai and Karachi.

A man, right, performs rituals as waves hit the shore during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai (AP)
A man, right, performs rituals as waves hit the shore during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai (AP)

Cyclone Biparjoy path: Track where the very severe storm is headed

Wednesday 14 June 2023 11:20 , Stuti Mishra

Cyclone Biparjoy is continuing its northern journey after originating in the Arabian sea last week.

The storm, which has intensified into a "very severe cyclone", is expected to take a slight eastward turn making landfall in Gujarat state's Kutch region.

This graph from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) shows the modelled path for the cyclone.

Path of cyclone Biparjoy (IMD)
Path of cyclone Biparjoy (IMD)

Biparjoy is currently located about 280km west of Jakhau Port in Gujarat.

Trains in Gujarat cancelled as cyclone Biparjoy brings extreme weather

Wednesday 14 June 2023 11:40 , Stuti Mishra

India's western railway has partially cancelled some trains to Gujarat as a precautionary measure as cyclone Biparjoy brings high tide, heavy rains and gusts of winds to the province.

So far 69 trains have been cancelled, 32 trains short terminated and 26 trains short originated due to the very severe cyclone. More impacts are expected, the country's weather department warned.

Four dead in India amid extreme weather before cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall

Wednesday 14 June 2023 12:00 , Stuti Mishra

Four deaths have been reported in India so far due to the extreme weather prompted by the arrival of the very severe cyclone Biparjoy.

Three young boys drowned off the the coast of India's financial capital Mumbai amid high tides and heavy rains. One boy who accompanied the other three was rescued.

While a woman was killed due to an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat.

Both India and Pakistan are highly vulnerable to damages in extreme weather events due to population density and infrastructural vulnerabilities.

Over 40,000 people evacuated in Gujarat

Wednesday 14 June 2023 12:30 , Stuti Mishra

The government of India's western province of Gujarat has evacuated over 40,000 people from the coastal regions so far, officials say, as cyclone Biparjoy is expected to hit the region tomorrow.

Already wreaking havoc in both India and Pakistan, the cyclone is packing winds up to 145kph and lashing the province with "heavy to very heavy rainfall" today.

In Kutch, strong waves swept away several tents located on Mandvi beach - a popular tourist destination.

So far, authorities have evacuated residents living within 5km of the coast in Gujarat.

However, officials say more people will be evacuated in the coming hours.

Gujarat is an economically crucial region for India and is home to several of country's important ports.

Police officers patrol the coast during high tide in Mandvi, in the Kutch district of the western state of Gujarat, India (EPA)
Police officers patrol the coast during high tide in Mandvi, in the Kutch district of the western state of Gujarat, India (EPA)

Over 65,000 people evacuated in Pakistan ahead of cyclone Biparjoy

Wednesday 14 June 2023 13:02 , Stuti Mishra

Pakistan's national disaster management authority have moved over 65,000 people from the coasts of the souther state of Sindh to safer locations as cyclone Biparjoy inches closer.

The country's National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) says the cyclone is only 300km away from the coastal area of Kati Bandar.

The cyclone is expected to make a landfall in India's Kutch region of Gujarat but very close to the border with Pakistan.

The country is already facing high tides, rains and heavy winds posing a threat to coastal communities. This is first big disaster to threaten Pakistan after the devastating floods of last year which killed 1,700 people.

A woman takes care of her child as she with other families take shelter in a school after fleeing from their villages of costal areas due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching, in Gharo near Thatta, a Pakistan’s southern district in the Sindh province (AP)
A woman takes care of her child as she with other families take shelter in a school after fleeing from their villages of costal areas due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching, in Gharo near Thatta, a Pakistan’s southern district in the Sindh province (AP)

Weather forecast for Karachi ahead of cyclone Biparjoy

Wednesday 14 June 2023 13:30 , Stuti Mishra

Pakistan's southern region of Sindh is bracing is lashed by heavy rains and thunderstorms as cyclone Biparjoy heads towards its coastal regions.

In the latest advisory today, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that Karachi is expected to receive more rain with thunderstorm and strong dust storm today.

The weather in Pakistan's financial capital is expected to remain partially cloudy, hot and humid.

The very severe cyclonic storm, Biparjoy, is now only 340km away from south-southwest of Karachi, 355km south-southwest of Thatta and 275km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.

The impacts of the storm are also being felt in India's Gujarat and as far as Mumbai.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall afternoon between Keti Bundar and India's Gujrat with a maximum sustained wind speed of 100-120km per hour (kmph), gusting to 140kmph.

Pakistani flood victims cross sea water due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching to the costal area in Karachi, Pakistan (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Pakistani flood victims cross sea water due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching to the costal area in Karachi, Pakistan (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

How cyclones in Arabian sea are getting stronger and wetter due to climate crisis

Wednesday 14 June 2023 14:30 , Stuti Mishra

Cyclone Biparjoy is this year's first very severe cyclone that is projected to make a direct landfall in India or Pakistan. But in recent years, the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones has increased, latest researches show.

As the global average temperatures continue to increase, the oceans are warming more than usual, creating favourable conditions for more storms.

A recent study published in Elsevier's Earth Science Reviews highlights that the Arabian Sea, which historically had cooler temperatures compared to the Bay of Bengal, has undergone a drastic change in character over the past four decades.

The sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea have increased by 1.2C to 1.4C compared to four decades ago, the study shows.

Another research paper published in the journal Nature further supports these findings, demonstrating an increasing trend in the intensity, frequency, and duration of cyclonic storms and very severe CS in the Arabian Sea between 1982 and 2019.

According to the study, the frequency of cyclonic storms has increased by 52 per cent in the Arabian Sea during the recent period of 2001 to 2019. Furthermore, the total duration of cyclones in the Arabian Sea has seen an 80 per cent increase over the last two decades, with the duration of very severe cyclones soaring by 260 per cent.

These changes have rendered India's west coast more vulnerable to severe cyclones.

Despite the north Indian Ocean accounting for only 6 per cent of global tropical cyclones annually, it has witnessed some of the most devastating cyclones, causing significant damage to countries along its rim. One of the factors of increased vulnerabilities of this region is population density and infrastructural vulnerabilities.

Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)

In Pictures: Hight tides, heavy winds and evacuations ahead of cyclone Biparjoy

Wednesday 14 June 2023 15:30 , Stuti Mishra

People flee the coastal areas following warnings of Cyclone Biparjoy in Keti Bandar, Sindh Province, Pakistan (EPA)
People flee the coastal areas following warnings of Cyclone Biparjoy in Keti Bandar, Sindh Province, Pakistan (EPA)
Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
Waves hit the stalls on the beach during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
A man stands as waves hit the shore during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
A man stands as waves hit the shore during high tide on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India (AP)
Residents evacuate from a coastal area of Keti Bandar before the due onset of cyclone Biparjoy, in Thatta district of Pakistan’s Sindh (AFP via Getty Images)
Residents evacuate from a coastal area of Keti Bandar before the due onset of cyclone Biparjoy, in Thatta district of Pakistan’s Sindh (AFP via Getty Images)
Families take shelter in a school after fleeing from their villages of costal areas due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching, in Gharo near Thatta, a Pakistan's southern district in the Sindh province (AP)
Families take shelter in a school after fleeing from their villages of costal areas due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching, in Gharo near Thatta, a Pakistan's southern district in the Sindh province (AP)
A tractor is used to make a wall to prevent sea water entering on the Arabia Sea coast at Mandvi in Kutch district of Gujarat state, India (AP)
A tractor is used to make a wall to prevent sea water entering on the Arabia Sea coast at Mandvi in Kutch district of Gujarat state, India (AP)

Videos show high tides and heavy winds brought by cyclone Biparjoy in Pakistan's Sindh

Wednesday 14 June 2023 16:30 , Stuti Mishra

Videos shared by residents on social media show heavy destructive winds impacting the coastal regions and scary tides rising up.

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