Cyclone Tauktae hits Karnataka coast; brings in heavy rains with gusty winds

IMD predicts the cyclone turning to be a very severe cyclone by May 18 hitting Gujarat coast.

Cyclonic storm Tauktae (pronounced as Tau’Te) hit the Karnataka coast on Friday night with the region continued to witness heavy rains coupled with gusty winds since then. The Arabian Sea has become very rough over the region with waves reaching up to 4.2mt height. Many parts prone to sea erosion witnessed further erosion along the Karnataka coast including Someshwara and Uchchila in Dakshina Kannada, Hejmady, Padubidri, Gangolli, Maravanthe, Koderi and Dombe in Udupi district. Heavy rains however did not cause any flooding in the region as yet. Though the Dakshina Kannada district administration had removed the weekend curfew aimed at curtailing the further spread of , people found it extremely difficult to buy the essentials before 9 a.m. amid the pounding rain. Interior areas of the twin districts too received heavy rains along with the coastal region.