New Delhi: A cyclone is expected to hit Gujarat’s south coast on Thursday morning, India’s met department said. Strong winds and heavy rainfall are likely to pound Surat and Junagadh districts in the next 48 hours.

Surat city is a prominent business centre and Veraval, where the cyclone is expected to impact in Junagadh, hosts several textile units.

A deep depresssion—a precursor to a cyclone—had formed about 470km west of Mangalore in Karnataka in the morning, the department said in a statement. Associated wind speeds are expected to touch 75km per hour (kmph) in the next 48 hours, it said.

“As of now, it’s in the same league as Aila (a cyclone that ravaged parts of West Bengal on 25 May), but it’s unlikely to be as damaging,” said director general Ajit Tyagi. That’s because the storm is likely to weaken after 48 hours, he said.

Gujarat, which boasts of India’s longest coastline, is an active fishing zone lined with several industrial units.

Aila was classified as a severe cyclonic storm, typically characterised by wind speeds ranging from 90-119kmph. Wind speed on a normal day would be between 10kmph and 15kmph and a 25kmph day would be considered windy.