The Met Office recently issued an alert about a severe cyclonic storm called ‘TEJ’ in the Southwest Arabian Sea. This storm, previously known as Cyclonic Storm TEJ, has become stronger and is moving in a west-northwest direction. At the time of the announcement, it was about 750 kilometers southeast of Oman and was expected to get even stronger by evening, according to Sardar Sarfaraz, the Chief Meteorologist of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
Initially, the storm was about 1850 kilometers southwest of Karachi and 1670 kilometers south of Gwadar. Importantly, it was expected that this storm wouldn’t directly affect the coastal areas of Pakistan. This is the second cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea this year, and it’s named ‘Tej’ according to the regional naming tradition for cyclones.
Meteorologists are cautioning that storms can sometimes change their predicted paths and strengths. For instance, earlier this year, Cyclone Biparjoy formed in the Arabian Sea. It initially moved north-northwest but later shifted course and made landfall between the Sindh and Gujarat coasts in Pakistan and India.
While most weather models indicate that the current storm is heading towards the Yemen-Oman coast, there’s one model suggesting it might change direction and head towards the Sindh and Gujarat coasts. Meteorological authorities in the region will closely watch this situation for any developments.
