The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned authorities in Sindh and Balochistan on Saturday to stay vigilant because the “very severe” cyclonic storm Biparjoy, which was over the Arabian Sea and was 910 km south of Karachi, was maintaining its intensity.
The cyclone, which was once thought to not constitute a threat to Pakistan’s coastal regions, changed its trajectory and started moving in that direction a day earlier.
It was a little over 1,100 km away as of June 9. The provincial disaster management authorities in Sindh and Balochistan were urged to “take stock of preparations and ensure public safety for communities in coastal areas” by climate change minister Sherry Rehman.
Consequently, Sindh and Balochistan’s provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) were alerted, and fishermen were also urged not to enter the water.
The Met department stated the system had “further tracked north-northeastward during the past 12 hours and now lies near Latitude 16.7°N & Longitude 66.4°E” in a notification released today.
The storm was described by the PMD as being “about 910km south of Karachi, 890km south of Thatta, and 990km southeast of Ormara” when it came to distances from Pakistan’s coastal cities.
The statement said, “The favorable environmental conditions are in support to intensify the system further, including sea surface temperatures of 30-32°C, low vertical wind shear, and upper-level divergence.”
According to the department, the system center had gusts of 150 km/hr and maximum sustained surface winds of 120–130 km/hr.
Additionally, the Met department warned fishermen to avoid the open sea starting on June 11 until the system passed since the seas “may get very rough/high, accompanied by high tides along [the] coast.”
