Cyclone Tauktae: Mumbai Airport to remain shut for 3 hours

Mumbai, May 17: The Mumbai Airport will remain closed for 3 hours due to Cyclone Tauktae.

"Due to cyclone alert, operations at Mumbai Airport need to be closed from 1100 hours local time to 1400 hours local time of 17th May, 2021," the spokesperson for the airport said.

The very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae is likely to intensify during the next 12 hours and reach the Gujarat coast on Monday evening, the IMD said.

It would cross the state's coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district by early Tuesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest bulletin on Sunday.

Tidal waves are likely to inundate several coastal districts during the landfall, it said.

'The very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae over east central Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 11 kmph during the past six hours,' the bulletin said.

Around 5.30 am on Sunday, the cyclone lay centred about 130 km west-southwest of Panjim-Goa, 450 km south of Mumbai, 700 km south-southeast of Veraval (Gujarat) and 840 km southeast of Karachi (Pakistan), it said.

'It is very likely to intensify during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach the Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May 17 and cross the state coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district around May 18 early morning,' the IMD said.

With the cyclone intensifying, the wind speed along and off Gujarat coasts in Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Amreli districts will reach 150-160 kmph gusting to 175 kmph by Tuesday morning.

It will reach a speed of 120-150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph over Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar districts during the same period, the IMD said.

'Gale winds with speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph are likely to prevail along and off Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, southern parts of Ahmedabad, and Anand districts, as well as Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman (Union Territories) from May 17 midnight till Tuesday morning,' it said.