Cyclone Biparjoy, which is holding up the start of monsoon rains in India, is set to intensify into a very severe storm in the Arabian Sea as it moves near the country’s west coast where major ports and refineries sit.
The cyclone is now a severe storm and will continue to intensify and move northward over the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department said in an update. The agency has signaled that the system would critically influence the arrival of monsoon rains over Kerala by driving away clouds and moisture.
India’s monsoon, a crucial weather event for agriculture and the economy, risks being further delayed. IMD had predicted it would start June 4, later than a normal start date of June 1. The forecast has a margin of error of four days. A delay may deal a potential setback to the planting of major food crops.
Private forecaster Skymet Weather said the monsoon may start on June 8 or June 9 because of the storm.
The storm currently lies 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) southwest of Mumbai and 1,370 kilometers south of Karachi in Pakistan, according to the India weather office. Wind speeds may climb to 145 to 155 kilometers an hour by Friday and could even reach 170 kilometers an hour, equivalent to a Category 2 storm.
