contributed to enhanced convective activity, and generated conditions which were supportive of tropical cyclogenesis. On 9 June, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted the development of a low-pressure area over the southeastern Arabian Sea, to the north of the Maldives. Organisation increased throughout the day, and owing to the improved structure of the system, the United States' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert at 22:30 UTC. At 00:00 UTC the following day, the IMD indicated that the low-pressure area had consolidated into a tropical depression, and assigned it the designation ARB 01. Conditions were favourable for further intensification, with improving upper-level divergence, and ample energy being provided by extremely warm sea surface temperatures of 31 °C (88 °F). Vertical wind shear also continued to decrease as the depression tracked steadily north-northwestwards parallel to the western coast of India under the influence of an anticyclone over central India. Deep convection strengthened around the low-level circulation centre, and the system was upgraded to a deep depression at 06:00 UTC. Six hours later, the JTWC assessed one-minute sustained winds as having reached , and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 02A. At 18:00 UTC on 10 June, the system strengthened into the third cyclonic storm of the season, and was named Vayu by the IMD. Vayu continued to steadily strengthen after intensifying into a cyclonic storm. A formative eye began to develop on 11 June, as intense deep convection wrapped tightly around the system. Vayu became a severe cyclonic storm by 12:00 UTC, and reached Category 1 tropical cyclone status on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS). Shortly afterwards, the cyclone began a period of rapid intensification; however, the rate of intensification was tempered somewhat by strong vertical wind shear. Vayu was upgraded to a very severe cyclonic storm at 18:00 UTC, and continued to strengthen through 00:00 UTC on 12 June, at which point the system became a Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone on the SSHWS. One-minute sustained winds increased to six hours later as a ragged eye developed on visible-light satellite imagery, surrounded by strong deep convection, particularly in the western semicircle of the storm. The intensification trend then slowed, however, with three-minute sustained winds only increasing further to by 12:00 UTC. Vayu's intensity soon plateaued as ocean heat content began to decrease and drier air began to infiltrate the cyclone's circulation. As Vayu approached the coastline