Cyclone 'Kyarr' intensifies; causes heavy rain in K'taka, Goa

The cyclonic storm 'Kyarr' has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the east-central Arabian Sea, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday night.

At 5.30 pm on Friday, it lay centered about 190 km to the west of Ratnagiri and 330 km south-southwest of Mumbai, the IMD said.

The Met department said that light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy falls at isolated places is very likely over coastal districts of Karnataka, Goa and South Konkan region during next 12 hours.

Isolated heavy rainfall is also very likely over north Konkan region during the same period, it said.

The effects of Kyarr were felt in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka on Friday with the entire region experiencing heavy rains throughout Thursday night and intermittent rains on Friday.

Several trees were uprooted in gusty winds that lashed the area, damaging houses in many places.

The IMD and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre have warned that the sea conditions are likely to be rough along the Karnataka coast during the next 24 hours.

A red alert has been sounded for Dakshina, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts with the prediction that the region is likely to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall (above 200 mm) in the next 24 hours.

Dakshina Kannada district received 32.4 mm rainfall on Friday, with Mangaluru, Bantwal and Belthangady receiving excess rains compared to last year during the same period.

The level of Nethravati river is also rising and stood at 25 metres, below the danger-level of 29.5 metres, the sources said.

The IMD has also predicted huge waves between three metres to 3.3 metres for the next 24 to 36 hours along the coast from Mangaluru, Malpe and Karwar.

Fishermen were advised not to venture into the rough sea for the next two days.

In Palghar of Maharashtra, district collector Kailas Shinde issued a warning to fishermen to not venture into the sea.

Palghar fisheries department officials on Friday said 1,411 boats had sailed, of which 1,378 had returned, while efforts were on to bring the rest 33 boats safely to shore.

In Goa, rains threw normal life out of gear for the third day on Friday. The IMD predicted that the downpour will continue with the same intensity on Saturday too.

In neighbouring Maharashtra, 'Kyarr' is likely to bring heavy showers in coastal districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in the next 12 hours, the Met office said.

The Mumbai-Goa national highway was inundated at several places between Canacona and Margao on Friday following the heavy post-monsoon rain that has been lashing Goa.

Water level of the Mandovi river was rising, restricting traffic to the islands of Chorao and Diwar.

"In view of the rising water level of the Mandovi, we have temporarily discontinued ferry services from these islands to the mainland," a senior official from the River and Navigation Department said in Panaji.

With inputs from ANI