Contrary to reports suggesting that Cyclone Tej could impact Pune, Dr Vineet Kumar Singh, a research scientist at Jeju National University in South Korea, told The Free Press Journal that the cyclonic storm is currently moving in a west-northwest direction towards Oman and Yemen and is not expected to have any impact on Pune or the west coast of India in general.
"This is the first cyclone of the post-monsoon season to form in the Arabian Sea. It is currently intensifying rapidly due to the exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures, which are around 30 degrees Celsius, approximately 2-3 degrees above the normal levels. Additionally, it is characterised by very high ocean heat content along its projected path and is experiencing low wind shear along with robust poleward outflow," explained the weather expert.
He further stated, "This event marks the 12th cyclone in the Arabian Sea for the month of October since 1982 and is the first October cyclone in this region since 2019. Cyclone Tej is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 cyclone, with wind speeds of up to 185 kmph, by tomorrow evening."
