Our live coverage of Tropical Cyclone Vayu has ended. Read more about how India prepared for the storm here.
Although Tropical Cyclone Vayu appears to be moving away from Gujarat, state administration officials will remain on high alert until Friday night, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said Thursday.
All schools and colleges in 10 districts in Gujarat will remain closed on Friday, Rupani said at a news conference.
Five airports in India’s Gujarat region will resume operations starting tonight, India’s Airport Authority said.
The airports had previously suspended flights because of Tropical Cyclone Vayu.
Read more details on airport operations below:
A giant dust storm blanketed the Indian capital of New Delhi on Wednesday night. Devanshoo Jain shared a video on Twitter.
Watch the video:
Tropical Cyclone Vayu is barreling toward the northwest coast of India and is expected to pass close to the Gujarat coast on Thursday.
While it’s not forecast to make landfall, it remains a threat to the coast.
Here’s a look at the numbers behind the storm:
Gujarat’s state’s Additional Chief Secretary, Pankaj Kumar, has appealed to those in the path of Tropical Cyclone Vayu to remain in a safe place and not to venture to coastal areas.
“Each and every life is valuable for us,” Kumar said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said that people who are staying in evacuation shelters will stay there for now. “We have been providing adequate food, water and medical facilities for the evacuees,” Kumar said.
So far, Kumar said there has “not been a single casualty” in the state because of the cyclone.
What to expect: Tropical Cyclone Vayu is not expected to make landfall but it is passing close to the coast, bringing strong gusts of wind, heavy rain and storm surges. Winds of 135 to 145 kilometers per hour (83-90 mph) are expected with gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph).
India’s National Disaster Management Authority is warning that a storm surge of 1.5 to 2 meters (5 - 6.5 feet) is likely to inundate low lying areas in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district, Porbandar, Junagarh, Diu and Gir Somnath district.
It also warned fishermen “not to venture into the north Arabian Sea and along and off the Gujarat coast and into the east-central Arabian Sea and along and off Maharashtra” due to rough sea conditions.
India’s National Disaster Response Force says it has deployed 52 teams to deal with the impact of Tropical Cyclone Vayu.
On Wednesday, teams helped to evacuate almost 300,000 people from low lying areas in Gujarat.
Vayu, classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm,” is not expected to make landfall but it will pass close to the coast, bringing strong gusts of wind, heavy rain and storm surges.
The Indian Coast Guard has said that all boats in Porbander Harbour are safe. The coastal town is one of the most likely to bear the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Vayu.
What we know about the storm: Vayu formed Monday and strengthened Tuesday into a hurricane-strength tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea. Powerful tropical cyclones rarely make it this far north in the Arabian Sea, and Gujarat state has not had a hurricane-strength storm make landfall in 20 years.
What to expect: The immediate coastline will still see heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surge, but the impacts will not be as great and they will not spread as far inland.
Gujarat’s famous Somnath temple, located on the western coast in Saurashtra (where the impact of the storm is expected to be felt the most) has remained open, despite the cyclone warning.
The daily “aarti” (a Hindu worship ritual) carried on as usual Thursday morning.
Local news channels are showing footage of some devotees visiting the temple despite the strong winds.
The Somnath temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be the first among twelve shrines, or jyotirlinga, to Lord Shiva.
On Wednesday, the Chief Minster of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, said in a press conference that the temple will remain open. “We have urged the devotees and tourists not to visit but we can’t close the temple,” he said.
Sathi Devi, head of the national weather forecasting center at the Indian Meteorological Department explained to CNN why Tropical Cyclone Vayu would probably not make landfall.
“It is moving north, north-westward and it has already entered the north east Arabian Sea,” Devi told CNN, adding that landfall won’t happen “for this particular system.”
“Landfall means that the system will cross the coast and go (onshore). That is not happening, but it is coming close and it is skirting the coast.”
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies landfall as when the center, or eye, of the storm moves onshore.
What can we expect?
Tropical Cyclone Vayu is expected to now reach the coast by Thursday afternoon at a speed of 135-145 kilometers per hour (83-90 mph), Devi said. CNN weather predicts the storm will remain 100-150 km (62-93 miles) off the coast.
The immediate coastline will still see heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surge, but the impacts will not be as great and they will not spread as far inland.
Vayu is currently 150 kilometers (93 miles) south southwest of Diu – an island union territory just off Gujarat coast and 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of the Gujarat city of Veraval.
The trend over the past 12-24 hours shows the likely track of Tropical Cyclone Vayu has shifted offshore of Gujarat state in northwest India.
The center of the storm is expected to remain 100-150 kilometers (62-93 miles) off the coast.
The immediate coastline will still see heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surge, but the impacts will not be as great and they will not spread as far inland. Authorities have so far evacuated 300,000 people along the coast in anticipation of the storm.
The storm is still equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane and should maintain a similar strength over the next 12-18 hours as it passes offshore of Gujarat. Beyond this time period the storm will begin to move farther away into the Arabian Sea and will eventually fizzle out as we get to Saturday.
India’s Airport Authority said that flights to and from five airports in the Gujarat region will be suspended for 12 hours – from midnight local time on Wednesday to midnight local time on Thursday – because of Tropical Cyclone Vayu.
Vayu, which is classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm,” is currently 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Veraval city in Gujarat state and is expected to continue to move up the coast on Thursday, bringing expected storm surges and wind speeds of 135-145 kilometers per hour (83-90 mph).
India’s Western Railway has issued a statement saying that it has canceled 70 trains operating through cyclone prone areas in Gujarat state.
Service on 28 other trains has also been suspended before reaching its terminus station until Friday as a precautionary measure.
Western Railway also said special trains with six to 10 coaches have been formed and will be kept at the nearest safe location, to be moved in case of emergency conditions.
All stations have been instructed to arrange sufficient food and water for passengers, railway staff and disaster management personnel, according to Western Railway.
What we know: Six million people could be impacted by Tropical Cyclone Vayu, which is barreling toward northwest India. While the cyclone turned away from land on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department is predicting the storm will “very likely” cross the Gujarat coast sometime on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department has issued an update on Cyclone Vayu, saying that in the last six hours the storm has moved north north west-wards and is currently 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Veraval city in Gujarat state.
The storm is forecast to continue to move north north west skirting the Saurashtra coast with wind speeds of 135-145 kilometers per hour (83-90 mph).
Cyclone Vayu is classed as a “very severe cyclonic storm.”
Six million people could be impacted by Tropical Cyclone Vayu, which is barreling toward northwest India.
While the cyclone turned away from land on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department is predicting the storm will “very likely” cross the Gujarat coast sometime on Thursday.
Nearly 300,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in Gujarat to safer places in preparation for the cyclone. Schools and colleges in affected districts are closed until Friday, officials said.
What we know about the storm: Vayu formed Monday and strengthened Tuesday into a hurricane-strength tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea. Powerful tropical cyclones rarely make it this far north in the Arabian Sea, and Gujarat state has not had a hurricane-strength storm make landfall in 20 years.
How powerful is it? With winds in excess of 120 kph (that’s about 75 mph), Tropical Cyclone Vayu could become the strongest cyclone to impact northwestern India in decades. It comes one month after powerful Tropical Cyclone Fani slammed into India’s northeastern coastline.
What to watch for: Coastal residents are preparing for a storm surge of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet), which could inundate parts of the low-lying coast of the Kutch district in Gujarat. India’s Meteorological Department is warning of the potential for heavy rainfall (over 200 millimeters or 8 inches) along the Gujarat coast.
The powerful cyclone that was set to hit India Thursday may be turning slightly away from land.
CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said the storm looks like it’s heading to the left — for now. He said this is good news as long as the cyclone doesn’t drastically turn the other way in the next couple of hours.
But because the storm is still so close to land, the India Meteorological Department is predicting the cyclone will “very likely” cross the Gujarat coast.
Experts are predicting Cyclone Vayu to be the worst storm to hit northwest India in decades. Nearly 300,000 people were evacuated Wednesday ahead of the storm.
Fisherman were warned Wednesday about rough seas ahead of Tropical Cyclone Vayu’s arrival.
Coastal residents are preparing for a storm surge of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet), which could inundate parts of the low-lying coast of the Kutch district in Gujarat.
India’s Meteorological Department is warning of the potential for heavy rainfall (over 200 millimeters or 8 inches) along with wind gusts over 135 kph (83 mph) along the Gujarat coast.
What we know about the storm: Vayu formed Monday and strengthened yesterday into a hurricane-strength tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea. Powerful tropical cyclones rarely make it this far north in the Arabian Sea, and Gujarat state has not had a hurricane-strength storm make landfall in 20 years.
Cyclone Vayu is the strongest storm to impact the Saurashtra Peninsula since 1998, when a tropical cyclone with winds of 195 kph (120 mph) killed around 10,000 people.
Dust storms are kicking up in the western Indian state of Gujarat as Tropical Cyclone Vayu approaches.
This photo and video, sent to CNN by Nirav Mehta, show a massive dust storm at Banni Grasslands Reserve Wednesday. The high winds were caused by thunderstorms from the cyclone.
Watch the moment:
Cyclone Vayu can be seen churning in the Arabian Sea from space.
NASA’s Aqua satellite took an image of Cyclone Vayu at about 4:05 a.m. ET Wednesday when the center of the storm was off the western coast of India, according to NASA.
NASA scientists predicted the center of the storm measured 115 miles across.
