Ahmedabad, November 4: Heavy rainfall is set to lash parts Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andaman and Nicobar islands over the next 48 hours as cyclone Maha in the Arabian Sea has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. In its weather bulletin, the IMD stated that heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Gujarat region and Saurashtra coasts on November 6 and 7 and isolated heavy falls likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and West Madhya Pradesh on November 7. Cyclone Maha Likely to Recurve Towards Gujarat by November 5, Heavy Rainfall to Lash Parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, Says IMD.

On Monday, Cyclone Maha was reported to be in the area adjoining Arabian Sea, about 660 km west-southwest of Veraval in Gujarat and 700 km west-southwest of Diu and 640 km west-southwest of Porbandar. The IMD said the Maha is very likely to intensify further till the morning of November 5 and weaken gradually thereafter. Cyclone Maha Update: Heavy Rainfall Likely in Parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat Over Next 48 Hours.

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The weather agency said that it is very likely to cross Gujarat coast between Diu and Porbandar as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph around mid-night of November 6 or early hours of November 7, 2019. The cyclone is also very likely to move west-northwestwards slowly during next 24 hours, recurve east-northeastwards and move rapidly thereafter.

In Gujarat, several parts have been receiving unseasonal rain due to Cyclone Maha, leading to crop damage, and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani promised compensation to affected farmers. The Indian Coast Guard have deployed seven ships and 2 aircrafts off Gujarat coast to warn fishing boats at sea. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government has issued heavy rain and thundershowers warning for north Konkan and north-central part of the state from November 6-8 due to cyclone 'Maha'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 04, 2019 01:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).