South Asia Braces for Rare August Cyclone: Coastal Towns on High Alert

Coastal towns in India and Pakistan prepared for a rare August cyclone. Heavy rains and winds led to school closures and evacuations. This storm, unusual because it formed over land, is moving towards the Arabian Sea. Authorities urged safety measures, warning of urban flooding and flash floods.

Coastal towns and cities in India and Pakistan braced for a rare August cyclone on Friday, as heavy rains and winds forced authorities to close schools and evacuate thousands. India's weather office confirmed the formation of a deep depression over land, likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Friday evening, moving north-westwards over the Arabian Sea in the next two days.

Schools in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and parts of Kutch district in India's Gujarat were shut, officials said, as heavy rain lashed both areas. The Indian weather office reported that a cyclonic storm in August is a rare event, with this being the first in decades.

"Cyclone formation generally takes place over sea and then it moves over to land. This type of system is unusual because it formed over land and is now moving towards the sea," Ashok Kumar Das, head of the Indian Meteorological Department in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, told Reuters. Authorities in Gujarat evacuated over 8,700 people from ten districts in the state, with the storm now expected to weaken as it transitions from land to sea.

(With inputs from agencies.)