Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Vayu () was a strong tropical cyclone that caused moderate damage in India during June 2019. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to affect the Saurashtra Peninsula of northwestern India since the 1998 Gujarat cyclone. Vayu was the third tropical depression, third cyclonic storm and second very severe cyclonic storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and the first of which to form in the Arabian Sea. Vayu originated from a low-pressure area that was first noted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 9 June, near the northern Maldives. After consolidating into a depression, the storm tracked slowly north-northwestward over the eastern Arabian Sea, and reached cyclonic storm intensity late on 10 June. Steady strengthening continued into 11 June, and the storm underwent rapid intensification late in the day. Vayu reached peak intensity as a high-end very severe cyclonic storm at 06:00 UTC on 12 June, with three-minute sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 970 hPa (28.64 inHg). Despite initially being forecast to make landfall in the state of Gujarat, Vayu turned abruptly to the west on 13 June and moved away from the coast. The system weakened gradually as it tracked slowly towards the Arabian Peninsula, then weakened more quickly after beginning to accelerate back towards India on 16 June. Vayu was downgraded to a deep depression the following morning, and further to a depression a few hours later. The system degenerated into a well-marked low-pressure area late on 17 June, just before crossing the Gujarat coast. Vayu's remnants continued inland for several more hours, before dissipating on 18 June. In total, as many as 6.6 million people in northwestern India were impacted by the cyclone. Approximately 300,000 residents of coastal Gujarat were evacuated on 12 June in preparation for the system's arrival, and thousands of personnel were deployed to the region to assist with preparations, rescue operations and clean up efforts. As of 18 June, eight people are reported to have been killed either directly or indirectly by the cyclone, and at least 12 more injured. The name Vayu was provided by India, and is derived from a Sanskrit and Hindi word meaning 'wind'. Meteorological history In early June, a strong pulse of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) tracked eastwards into the tropical Indian Ocean, leading to increased cloudiness and rainfall across the region. The presence of the pulse also