Cyclone Vayu will change its path again and is likely to hit Gujarat's Kutch on June 17-18, a top official of the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences said on Friday. The very severe cyclonic storm reduced in intensity and turned into a severe cyclonic storm by this morning, a senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

"The system is moving nearly westwards affecting Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka districts with wind speed 50-60 kilometres per hour gusting to 70 kilometres per hour and Gir Somnath and Junagarh districts with wind speed 30-40 kilometres per hour gusting to 50 kilometres per hour. The wind speed over these districts is very likely to decrease gradually," the Cyclone Warning Division said in a bulletin.

"The system is very likely to move nearly westwards during next 48 hours and recurve northeastwards thereafter," it added.

"Cyclone Vayu will again recurve. It is likely to hit the Kutch coast on June 17-18," Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary M Rajeevan told PTI.

By June 16, Vayu is likely to become a cyclonic storm with an expected wind speed of 80-90 kilometres per hour, he said.

The intensity of the cyclone is likely to reduce and it may hit the coast as a cyclonic storm or a deep depression, Rajeevan added.

He said the Gujarat government has been alerted about the possible recurvature of the cyclonic storm.

The "very severe" cyclonic storm was expected to hit Gujarat coast on Thursday but changed its course overnight.

The cyclonic storm just skirted the Saurashtra coast bringing in heavy rains for coastal districts of Diu, Gir Somnath, Junagarh, Porbandar, and Dwarka.

The weather department had announced that the cyclone was most likely to make landfall on the state's coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval and Diu region with a wind speed 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph.

Copyright: The Statesman/ Asia News Network (ANN)