Cyclone Mekunu to make landfall; bring heavy rains in Maharashtra; updates

After inflicting heavy damage in Yemen, Cyclone Mekunu is expected to make landfall in Oman on Saturday. Here's how the cyclone will affect India 

Cyclone Mekunu is expected to make landfall in Oman on Saturday morning. The cyclone, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), is also likely to affect the weather along India's western coast.

The Mekunu cyclone is likely to cause the western coast to receive "heavy spells of showers", an IMD official said on Thursday.

Taking note of the weather forecast, an advisory was issued in Goa on Thursday asking locals and tourists not to venture into the sea for the next 72 hours.

The IMD has warned fishermen not to venture into certain sections of the Arabian Sea until specific dates.

Here's all you need to know about the cyclone Mekunu:

1) Swimming banned off Goa's coast for 72 hours: A private lifeguard agency, appointed by the state government, on Thursday issued an advisory banning swimming at Goa's popular beaches for the next 72 hours.

"Drishti cautions beachgoers and tourists to not venture into the sea for the next 72 hours owning to rough sea conditions and high-speed winds expected. There is a possibility of a surge of waves during the high tide, in the low lying areas of the coast. Drishti advises tourists to avoid venturing into the sea for a swim or water-based recreational activities," the advisory states.

2) IMD predicts heavy showers along Maharashtra coast: Cyclone Mekuna is likely to trigger heavy showers along the western coast of Maharashtra in the next few days, an IMD official said on Thursday.

"The Mekunu cyclone has moved away from the Indian coast, but it is likely to cause the western coast (to) receive some heavy spells of showers," the official added.

3) Cyclone Mekunu's impact to be limited to coastal areas: According to the IMD official, the inner part of Maharashtra will largely be unaffected by the cyclone. " Konkan region of Maharashtra would get a few showers in the next few days. Some isolated places in Konkan will receive rain, but the rest of Maharashtra will have no impact," the official said.

4) IMD warns fishermen: In a press release issued on Thursday, IMD advised fishermen not to venture into the southwest Arabian Sea until May 24 and into the west-central Arabian Sea until May 26.

5) Cyclone Mekunu likely to make landfall in Oman tomorrow: The cyclone is expected to be “extremely severe” when it makes landfall on the Arabian Peninsula this weekend.

The cyclone had earlier thrashed the Yemeni island of Socotra causing severe flooding and damage.

"The coastal areas were submerged by floods causing heavy damage to homes," with more than 10 villages in Socotra's south and east cut off, Ramzy Mahrous, governor of Socotra, told news agency AFP.

6) Mercury to come down in Marathwada and Vidarbha: The official said temperatures across Marathwada and Vidarbha are expected to come down in the coming days. "The circular winds in the Bay of Bengal have caused some cloud formation over parts of Maharashtra, which has reduced the temperature and brought relief to people," the official said.

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