MUMBAI: Cyclone Phyan roared toward India's western coast this afternoon as authorities sounded an alert and shut schools and offices in anticipation of its blustery arrival.

Hundreds of fishermen were ordered to turn back as Phyan (FAY-an) stormed in from the Arabia Sea, nearly 250 kilometres southwest of Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, said Gopal Chandal, a spokesman for the fishing community.

Rain started lashing parts of western India and was expected to pick up intensity with the wind speed touching up to 90 kilometre per hour as the cyclone hits coastal areas Wednesday night, the India Meteorological Department said. In Mumbai, municipal authorities closed schools and offices three hours early Wednesday. However, air and train services remained unaffected so far.

In neighbouring Gujarat state, authorities kept vigil in 175 villages in 12 coastal districts and considered evacuating thousands of people to safe areas, said Ranjit Banerjee, a state official dealing with disaster management.

Banerjee said there was a possibility of the cyclone veering off in another direction in the Arabian Sea or losing strength as it travelled inland after hitting central Maharashtra state and southern parts

of Gujarat.