Islamabad and New Delhi
CNN
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Tropical cyclone Biparjoy It made landfall in the western Indian state of Gujarat, near the Pakistan border, and unleashed strong winds that ripped trees and downed electricity poles.
Upon landfall, Biparjoy was equivalent to a strong tropical storm with winds of 65 mph (100 kph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
As it slowly moves inland, wind and storm surge threats are expected to diminish, with flooding becoming the most significant impact for millions of people over the next 48 hours.
Heavy rain warnings are expected to remain in effect in northwest India until Saturday. Precipitation is likely from 150 to 250 mm (6 to 10 in) with isolated amounts up to 500 mm (20 in).
In Pakistan, the Meteorological Department warned of widespread dust storms and thunderstorms in the southern province of Sindh, with some heavy rain and strong winds of 50-60 mph (80-100 km/h).
Videos and photos broadcast on local Indian television show roads turning into rivers, trees bending in the wind, and people wading waist-deep in floodwaters.
As of Friday morning local time, there were no reports of deaths in Pakistan or India, although earlier this week four boys drowned off the coast of Mumbai, India’s financial hub.
Indian Army and Coast Guard are on standby for rescue and relief operations.
Ahead of the storm, both India and Pakistan implemented collective safety measures to ensure minimal damage and loss of life. About 180,000 people have been evacuated from high-impact areas in both countries, according to authorities.
Cattle have also been moved to higher ground, some schools have been closed, and fishing has been halted in Gujarat. Two of India’s largest ports also stopped working.
Meanwhile in Pakistan, shopping malls and businesses were closed along the coast of Karachi, its largest city and capital of Sindh. Pakistan’s national airline, Paya, has also implemented precautionary measures, including round-the-clock security, to minimize potential risks.
Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea and hospitals are staffed with emergency personnel, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Pibarjoy has been moving across the northeastern Arabian Sea, towards southern Pakistan and western India since late last week, with winds of 160 km/h (100 mph) and gusts of up to 195 km/h (121 mph). It weakened as it approached land, but the area experienced heavy rains, damaging winds, and coastal storm surges in the days leading up to its landfall.
It comes less than a year after record monsoon rains and melting glaciers devastated swathes of Pakistan, killing nearly 1,600 people.
Experts also say the storm is a symptom of a growing climate crisis.
A study published in 2021 by researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Meteorological Innovation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong and published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science finds that tropical cyclones in Asia could double in destructive force by the end of the century, as scientists say a man-made climate crisis makes them already stronger.
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