The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the formation of a cyclone in the north Arabian Sea, near the coast of Gujarat, on Friday, August 30.

Over the past three days, a deep depression has brought heavy rains to Gujarat and is expected to move westward toward the coasts of Pakistan and Iran. In the next 12 hours, this depression is likely to enter the northeast Arabian Sea, near Kutch, Saurashtra, and Pakistan, and strengthen into a cyclonic storm, according to the IMD.

Cyclone Asna: Key Facts

Once the depression becomes a cyclone, it will be named Cyclone Asna, a name given by Pakistan meaning "the one to be acknowledged or praised" in Urdu.

Meteorological expert Dr. Soma Sen Roy has stated that Gujarat, especially Saurashtra and Kutch, will continue to experience very heavy rainfall due to the storm. Cyclone Asna will be the first cyclone to form in the North Indian Ocean in August since 1981 and the first in the Arabian Sea since 1976.

As of August 29, the deep depression was located 60 km northwest of Bhuj and 80 km northeast of Naliya in Gujarat, causing significant rainfall in the region.

A senior IMD official mentioned that the deep depression is likely to intensify into Cyclone Asna due to favorable conditions in the Arabian Sea. The cyclone will draw energy from the ocean, and with low wind shear and favorable conditions, it is expected to strengthen further.

The formation of this cyclone is linked to changes in wind patterns during the monsoon season and the moisture absorbed from the land and the Arabian Sea.

Since 1891, 32 cyclones have formed in the North Indian Ocean during August, but only four have occurred in the Arabian Sea between 1891 and 2023.

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