Cyclone Shakthi churns Arabian Sea, IMD issues high-sea alert for west coast

The first post-monsoon cyclone in the Arabian Sea, named Shakthi, has intensified into a cyclonic storm with sustained wind speeds of around 100 kmph since Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather office said the system is likely to maintain its strength through Sunday before gradually weakening from Monday morning.

The storm is expected to change course eastward after moving west-southwest across the northwest and adjoining west-central Arabian Sea.

While parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and coastal Konkan, were placed under a rainfall alert, the IMD later revised its forecast, indicating that the city is unlikely to witness heavy rain.

Light showers or drizzles are expected in Mumbai and nearby districts until October 8. Between October 3 and 5, wind speeds of 45–55 kmph, gusting up to 65 kmph, may prevail along the north Maharashtra coast and could strengthen if the storm intensifies further.

Interior regions such as Marathwada and east Vidarbha may experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, raising the risk of flooding in low-lying pockets of north Konkan.

Sea conditions are likely to remain rough to very rough along and off the Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts as well as near Pakistan’s southern shoreline until Sunday.

Fishermen have been advised to avoid the northwest and central Arabian Sea and adjoining coastal areas until Tuesday.

Cyclone Shakthi — a name contributed by Sri Lanka under the World Meteorological Organization’s cyclone-naming protocol — is also expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall to parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai.