Born on Indian coast, remnants of Gulab to hit Pak coast as another storm Shaheen

Vishakhapatanam: The remnants of Cyclone Gulab that originated in the Bay of Bengal and travelled south India triggering heavy rains have now regained their strength to emerge as another cyclone in the Arabian Sea, as previously reported by Deccan Chronicle as a rare weather phenomenon in the meteorological world.

After making landfall at Srikakulam district on September 26, Gulab weakened into the next lower levels like deep depression. These remnants of Gulab then absorbed a sufficient amount of moisture while passing through Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state before entering the Arabian Sea where conditions favoured for emerging of another cyclone, mostly on October 1.

The new cyclone, to be named Shaheen, a name suggested by Qatar, is going to hit the Pakistan coast. Interestingly, Pakistan suggested the name Gulab.

Going by the latest track of the weather system, the to-be-developed Shaheen was located 190 km away from Gujarat coast and 200 km near to Karachi coast in Pakistan as on Thursday evening.

"By any chance on October 1, Shaheen will officially be formed and chances are high for increasing its strength as a severe cyclone. It is a rare phenomenon that a cyclone that travelled more than 3,000 km from one coast to another," a senior IMD official told this newspaper.

When contacted, the Delhi-based IMD director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, who is affectionately known as Cyclone Man of India for accurately predicting the track of cyclone, said, "Yes, another cyclone named Shaheen will be forming over the Arabian Sea. It will be moving away from Indian coast towards Pakistan-Makran coast."

IMD Hyderabad Centre director K. Nagaratna recalled that cyclone Gaja also had similarities with Gulab. The Gaja developed in the Bay of Bengal in November 2018, moved over south India through Tamil Nadu before regaining energy in the Arabian Sea along the Kerala coast. But the storm was not as big as the Gulab, she added.

Nearly 51 cyclones formed in September between 1891 and 2021, while 124 in October and 145 in November, according to data from the IMD.