Rare tropical cyclone forms in Arabian Sea, heading towards India

TORONTO – Tropical cyclone Nilofar, the first to form in the Arabian Sea since 2010, is making its way towards India and Pakistan.

READ MORE: Cyclone pounds eastern India; typhoon hits Japan

On Tuesday, Nilofar strengthened to a Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds of more than 200 km/h, making it the third strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea.

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Nilofar weakened to a Category 2 early Thursday morning, local time. As it nears India, it is expected to weaken further, making landfall as a tropical storm.

The most powerful cyclones in the basin have been Gonu in 2007, with winds of 265 km/h and Phet in 2010 with winds of 233 km/h.

The India Meteorological Department issued a warning to residents calling for heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday for parts of North Gujarat and surrounding regions. Winds gusting up to 60 km/h and high waves are also to be expected.

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