The Gujarat government is preparing for Cyclone Nilofar, which has developed in the Arabian Sea and is likely to move towards the state's coast in the next 48 hours. District authorities in the coastal areas are monitoring the situation and have been advised to keep their control rooms operational.

Coastal districts of Gujarat would receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall from October 30 as Cyclone Nilofar would intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours, India Meteorological Department(IMD) said. The cyclonic storm Nilofar over westcentral and adjoining southwest Arabian Sea moved slightly northwards and lay centred at 1730 hours on Sunday about 1240 kms southwest of Naliya (Gujarat), 1300 kms south-southwest of Karachi in Pakistan and 900 kms east-southeast of Salalah (Oman), an IMD statement said.