A low-pressure system that emerged over the southern Arabian Sea a few days ago is anticipated to escalate into a ‘depression’ and potentially develop into a storm within the next 24 hours, as indicated by a cyclone alert released by the Meteorological Office on Saturday.
However, the alert reassured that none of Pakistan’s coastal areas are presently directly threatened, as the depression is likely to track towards the coasts of Oman or Yemen in the coming days.
As of the current report, the low-pressure system is located at a distance of 1,830 kilometers southwest of Karachi and 1,760 kilometers south of Gwadar, according to the weather department.
The storm has been named ‘Tej’ by India, signifying its swiftness. Presently, it is positioned 960 kilometers southeast of Oman and is expected to gain further intensity by this evening, stated PMD Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz.
Earlier, the system was situated approximately 1,810 kilometers southwest of Karachi and 1,750 kilometers south of Gwadar. This would mark the second cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea for the year.
Meteorologists, however, caution that storms may occasionally deviate from their predicted routes and intensities, as was observed in the case of Cyclone Biparjoy, which formed in the Arabian Sea in June. Initially tracking in a north-northwest direction, it later changed course, making landfall between the Sindh and Gujarat coasts in Pakistan and India.
Reports from various weather models currently indicate that the storm is on course for the Yemen-Oman coast.
