Cyclone Biparjoy, India's first severe cyclone of the year, made landfall in Western India near the Pakistan border on Thursday 15 June 2023.
The Cyclone was initially classified as a very severe cyclonic storm however the IMD have since reduced this classification to severe.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for the Saurashtra and Kutch coasts in Gujarat prior to the disaster as the storm was predicted to cross the Jakhau Port area. The port was the first to be hit with winds of up to 125 km/h (78 mph) on 15 June. The storm weakened once it reached the Gujarat state however it continues to move across the state taking strong wind and rain with it.
Currently, two people have been reported as deceased and 22 injured. Vegetation, infrastructure and transport links have all been destroyed but the true extent of the damage is still not fully known. Additionally, coastal areas of the Sindh province have been inundated due to high sea levels. Rescue operations are yet to begin due to the bad weather.
Fortunately, 170,000 people living in coastal areas were evacuated to safer areas prior to the storm hitting with temporary makeshift shelters set up in schools and government buildings. These people have started to head home now that the storm has weakened.
The cause of the cyclone is thought to be due to rising sea surface temperatures across the Arabian Sea in more recent years due to climate change. This has made the region more vulnerable to freak weather and extreme storms.
