- India
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‘Severe cyclonic storm’ Maha weakened into a deep depression Thursday morning and was further reduced to a depression by evening, off the coast of south Gujarat in the east-central and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea.
As the cyclone weakened, it brought heavy rainfall Thursday morning along coastal Saurashtra districts and a few districts in south and central Gujarat including Kheda, Anand, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Vadodara, Narmada, Ahmedabad, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Surat, Tapi, Bharuch and Dahod.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the depression will weaken further into a well-marked low-pressure area over the northeast and adjoining east-central areas of the Arabian Sea off south Gujarat coast by Thursday night.
On Thursday afternoon, it lay centered over the northeast and adjoining eastcentral Arabian Sea about 80 km to the south of Veraval and 70 km to the south of the union territory of Diu.
As Maha weakens into a well-marked low-pressure formation, IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall over south Gujarat with heavy rainfall at isolated places over Diu, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar on Friday.
Wind speeds could reach 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph over northeast Arabian Sea along and off Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Diu, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, and the union territories of Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Fishermen are advised not to venture into Arabian Sea along and off south Gujarat coast till early Friday.
The areas that received heavy rainfall Thursday were Thasra in Kheda district (55 mm), Jafrabad in Amreli (54 mm), Umerpada in Surat (53 mm), Una in Gir Somnath (29 mm), Kukarmunda in Tapi (26 mm), Anklav in Anand (25 mm), Godhra in Panchmahal (24 mm), Ankleshwar in Bharuch (21 mm), Chhota Udepur (19 mm), Desar in Vadodara (18 mm), Sankheda and Bodeli in Chhota Udepur (16 mm each).
Other districts that also recorded considerable rainfall were Naramada, Ahmedabad, Dahod and Junagadh while most parts across the state received light rainfall.