'Cyclone Storm' Nilofar weakens into 'low pressure area'

Nilofar is expected to move north-westward before it dissipates on Saturday, says the met department

KARACHI: Tropical Cyclone Nilofar has weakened into a low pressure area and has currently located about 460km south-southwest of Karachi, the country's meteorological department reported.

“The low pressure area is almost stationary and likely to dissipate gradually over the water on Saturday,” it further reported, adding that wind speeds have now deteriorated to approximately 15-25 knots.

Further, Nilofar is expected to move north-westward before it dissipates on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Cyclone Nilofar had “weakened into a depression”, and was located approximately 490 kilometres south-south west of Karachi, with an estimated wind speed of about 20-30 Knots at the time.

A few days after making light of the cyclone, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani visited Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s mazar on October 30 to offer prayers.

Watch the video here.

According to NASA, "wind shear has been weakening Nilofar" and winds have "dropped beyond hurricane-strength".

Tropical Cyclone Nilofar approaching the Pakistan-India border captured by NASA's Terra satellite. PHOTO: NASA

Scattered rain and thunder showers are expected in Lower Sindh and the coast of Lasbella during the next 24 to 36 hours, and the conditions of the sea along the coast are expected to remain rough until Saturday, November 1.

Weather officials on Thursday downgraded tropical cyclone Nilofar by several notches, reclassifying it as a ‘cyclonic storm’ that will dissipate somewhere near Badin by Friday evening.

Nilofar will not hit any part of the coast, not even in India, the Met department and other officials said. The whole system will die down completely by Saturday, they added.

Nilofar is expected to move north-westward before it dissipates on Saturday. PHOTO: PAKISTAN MET DEPARTMENT

On a positive note, fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan may be able to resume activities on Sunday.

Interestingly, residents of the coastal areas remain apprehensive about the potential destruction of their properties by Cyclone Nilofar, but dwellers of drought-hit Tharparkar are hopeful the tropical storm will at least endow them with much-needed rainfall.

Read about how rainfall will be a lifesaver for the Thar residents and their livestock.

Nilofar weakens, goes into 'depression' in India as well

In neighbouring India, Cyclone Nilofar is also weakening further and moving into a depression over the northeast Arabian Sea, according to the India Meteorological Department's Regionalized Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) forecast.

RSMC predicts that sea conditions along and off the coast of Gujarat will “be moderate to rough during the next 24 hours.”

Further, the Indian meteorological department has advised fishermen in Gujarat (along and off the coast) not to venture into the sea for the next 24 hours.