In a rare meteorological phenomenon in the month of August, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday predicted the formation of a cyclone which is currently brewing over the Saurashtra-Kutch region of Gujarat.
As per the weather watchdog, the cyclone is expected to emerge over the Arabian Sea on Friday and travel towards the Oman coast. According to PTI, Pakistan has named it 'Asna'. The name will be used when it intensifies into a cyclonic storm.
Cyclone Asna: What did IMD say?
According to the national bulletin issued IMD, the deep depression over Saurashtra and Kutch is likely to move west-southwestwards and emerge over the northeast Arabian Sea off Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts and intensify into a cyclonic storm on Friday.
"Development of cyclonic storms in the month of August over the Arabian Sea is a rare activity. What is unusual about the current storm is that it has maintained the same intensity over the past few days", an IMD meteorologist said.
According to the scientists, the brewing tropical storm is sandwiched between two anticyclones – one over the Tibetan Plateau and another over the Arabian Peninsula.
History of cyclones over Arabian Sea in August
After 1891, only three cyclonic storms have developed over the Arabian Sea in August. In a rare incident in 1944, a cyclone intensified after emerging into the Arabian Sea and weakened subsequently mid-sea while in 1964, a short cyclone developed near the South Gujarat coast and weakened near the coast.
In 1976, a cyclone developed over Odisha, moved west-northwestwards, emerged into the Arabian Sea, made a looping track, and weakened over the northwest Arabian Sea near the Oman coast.
Similarly, over the Bay of Bengal during the last 132 years, there have been a total of 28 such systems in the month of August.
