This October 27, 2014 NASA satellite photo shows Cyclone Nilofar in the Arabian Sea (AFP photo/NASA)
Cyclone Nilofar, building in the Arabian Sea, will hit Gujarat and Pakistan's southern coastal areas before noon on Saturday, a day later than originally expected.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
India has six categories of tropical storms based on wind speeds and damage expected, with Nilofar falling into category five, the second from top.
On Friday, the coastal areas Saurashtra and Kutch will see heavy rains and gales and the sea will turn extremely rough, warned the Met Department, which says all fishermen must return to the coast urgently.
The storm, currently packing winds of up to 155 kilometres per hour, will weaken before it hits land, with the wind speed expected to slow down to about 100 kilometres per hour.
Met department officials say that means that before landfall, Nilofar is likely to be downgraded from its current status of "very severe" cyclonic storm.
In Gujarat, officials are working on evacuating villages in the coastal areas of Kutch district that is expected to bear the brunt of the storm.
The National Disaster Response Force has been put on alert in Gujarat.
"We are preparing for the worst to happen, let us also pray that cyclone Nilofar gets subdued and doesn't bring serious damage," said Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben who has been reviewing preparations.
Nilofar is the second cyclone to hit India this month; Hudhud slammed into the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 12 and killed nearly 20 people in the state.
Nilofar is expected to pass Goa within the next one day; the state has seen unseasonal showers for the last three days.
India, particularly its east coast, and neighbouring Bangladesh are routinely hit by bad storms between April and November that cause deaths and widespread damage to property.
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