The landfall process of cyclone Tauktae started on Monday evening across the Gujarat coast, the Indian Met Department said at around 8.40 pm. The process will continue for the next two hours, it said.

Having intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm‘ on
Sunday night, Tauktae made its way north-northwestwards to the Gujarat coast before
making landfall.

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae: Heavy rain, strong winds in Mumbai as train services hit

Mumbai, earlier on Monday, experienced
light rain and sharp gusts of wind. Located in close proximity to the northern coastlines
of Maharashtra, the city was put on orange alert, with the Bandra Worli sea
link and the Chattrapati Shivaji Airport both being shut down in purview of the
cyclone. Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), stationed in
the western suburbs of the city, were alerted as well.

In Gujarat, more than 100,000
citizens from 17 districts were evacuated, including all COVID-19 patients
within a five-kilometre radius of the coast.

Indian Meteorological
Department also issued orange alert on Monday afternoon for three Kerala districts
– Ernakulam, Idukki and Malappuram.

Also read: In pics: Gusty winds, heavy showers in Mumbai due to Cyclone Tauktae

Earlier, tidal waves and
heavy rains wreaked havoc across the western coastline in Karnataka, Kerala and
Goa, with at least six people dead from the calamities of the storm.