Ashobhaa predicted to make landfall on Oman coast

Heavy rains are expected to lash at the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan while the tropical cyclone named Ashobhaa is 550 kilometres south of Karachi.

Detailed predictions carried out by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies suggest that Cyclone Ashobhaa, presently around 550 kilometres south-southwest of Karachi will make landfall in Oman and not come towards Pakistan at all.

The image below shows the current location of Ashobhaa in red and predicts that it will go on to make landfall in Oman and will in fact end up missing the Pakistan coast entirely.

The Institute is one of 16 affiliated research institutions of the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier, a detailed statement on the website of the Pakistan Meteorological Department said that Cyclone Ashobhaa is moving northwest at a speed of 18 kilometres per hour and now lies centred around Latitude 20 degrees North and Longitude 66 degrees north and is currently 550 south-southwest of Karachi and 700km east-southeast of Muscat, the capital of Oman.

According to a satellite image taken at 1100 hours Pakistan Standard time from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, Space Science and Engineering Centre, the storm has moved away from the direction of Karachi and in fact the Pakistan coast and seems headed towards the coast of Oman.

The sea conditions along Sindh-Makran coast are likely to remain rough to very rough occasionally high associated with stormy winds  till Friday evening. A maximum tide height of 4.5-5.5 metres is expected, the Met Office said.

Met Departmenent’s website stated, “Rain/Thundershowers of moderate intensity (25-35 mm) accompanied with winds of 30-40 km/hr are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Thatta, Badin and Sujawal districts of Sindh during next 12-36 hrs and with isolated heavy falls with chances of flash floods in southwest Balochistan.”

The Cyclone Warning Centre in Karachi of the Met Department has warned the fishermen of Sindh and Balochistan as follows:

Sindh – Fishermen of Sindh are advised not to venture in open sea from till Thursday.

Balochistan – Fishermen of Balochistan are advised not to venture in open sea till Friday.

Under the influence of this system rain/thundershowers of moderate intensity (25 -35 mm) accompanied with winds of 30-40km/hr are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tharparker, Thatta, Badin and Sujawal districts of Sindh in the next 24-48 hrs and after 36 hrs in south Balochistan, the Met office said.

Safety precautions

Norbert Almedia, a Karachi-based safety and security adviser who tweets @norbalm, has advised several precautions and steps which need to be taken in case of a storm or a cyclone.

Before a cyclone hits a locality, the citizens are advised to stay indoors and and the documents should be kept safe inside containers so they do not get damaged.

Gas and electrical switches should be turned off whereas the fridges and deep freezers should only be opened unless its utmost necessary. The cell phones must be charged along with balance. A secure room should be designated in the house.

Pets should also be brought back into the house.

After the cyclone, the citizens should monitor the situation through the news feeds which can be accessible. They should stay away from flood waters.

Loose and live wires should be avoided at all costs and turn on those switches that are not wet.

K-Electric advises precautionary measures:

• During strong winds keep a safe distance from electricity poles and broken wires.
• Pruning of tree branches in close proximity to electricity wires outside your residence should be done immediately.
• Avoid parking vehicles near poles of PMTs.
• In case of any emergency contact 118 or KE Social Care.
• Our maintenance teams will be on stand-by during the forecasted storm.

A report in the Times of Oman quoting Accuweather and the Indian Met Department said that the cyclone was expected to turn northwestward and that its path would take it away from much of the Pakistan coast and  towards the Sea of Oman. An animation in this report suggested that by June 12, the cyclone would be south of Gwadar and heading towards the Sea of Oman.