Cyclone Tauktae Crosses Gujarat Coast, Weakens After Landfall

May 18, 2021, 08:51 IST

Cyclone Tauktae's landfall ended around 12 am on Tuesday after it hit the Gujarat coast in Saurashtra between Diu and Una at around 9 pm, said the India Meteorological Department.

The IMD also announced that Cyclone Tauktae has weakened into a "very severe cyclonic storm" from the "extremely severe cyclonic storm".

THE EXTREMELY SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM ‘TAUKTAE’ WEAKENED INTO A VERY SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM AND LAY CENTRED AT 2330 HRS IST OF 17TH MAY 2021 OVER SAURASHTRA, NEAR LAT. 20.9°N AND LONG. 71.10°E, ABOUT 30 KM NORTHEAST OF DIU.
REAR SECTOR OF THE EYE WALL REGION IS ENTERING INTO LAND. pic.twitter.com/SVi9Qd5tSz

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 17, 2021

Winds with speeds of up to 155-165 kilometres per hour, gusting to 190 km/hour lashed the region as it made the landfall. Major ports and airports have been shut in Gujarat and more than two lakh people were shifted to safer locations before the cyclone. The cyclone brushed past the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

Six persons were killed in Maharashtra's Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm

Meanwhile, flight operations at Mumbai airport resumed on Monday night after being suspended for 11 hours due to the cyclone effect.

In the latest update from the IMD the cloud was weakening and several adjoining areas

THE VSCS ‘TAUKTAE’ LAY CENTRED AT 0430 HRS IST OF 18TH MAY 2021 OVER SAURASHTRA, NEAR LAT. 21.40°N AND LONG. 71.20°E, ABOUT 85 KM NORTH-NORTHEAST OF DIU AND 20 KM SOUTH OF AMRELI.

THE CYCLONE CONTINUES TO SHOW WEAKENING TREND. EYE IS DISORGANISING, WALL CLOUD IS WEAKENING. pic.twitter.com/GaT7a7xk5X

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 17, 2021