rains in Chennai - cyclone threat looms at Coastal districts

It is raining incessantly in Chennai and there was water stagnation in some roads.  Schools in the City and some districts have been closed as more rain stands predicted.

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts face a cyclone threat, the Meteorological  office said  on Monday 29^th Oct 2012. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued cyclone alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coast. According to an IMD bulletin last night, the deep depression over south-west Bay of Bengal lay centred at about 500 km south-southeast of Chennai and 130 km east-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).  The system would intensify further into a cyclonic storm and cross north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore by Wednesday evening.

With the North East monsoon being active over Coastal Tamilnadu, rainfall occurred on 29^th Oct 12 at many places over Coastal Tamil Nadu and at a few places over Kerala. Isolated rainfall occurred over Interior Tamil Nadu and Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Mainly dry weather prevailed over Lakshadweep  and dry weather prevailed over Telangana,  Rayalaseema and Karnataka.  Trangambadi in Nagapattinam Dist received 13 cm rainfall. 

Isolated heavy to very heavy rain is predicted to  occur over Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next 48 hours.   The forecast for Chennai city for the next 24 hours reads :  The sky conditions would be generally cloudy. One or two spells of rain or thundershower would occur. Surface winds will be strong and gusty at times. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around 30 and 26 degree Celsius respectively.

Arising out of the well-marked depression over southeast Bay of Bengal, South coastal Andhra faces the threat of a cyclonic storm hitting the coast in the next 2-3 days.  Ports at Krishnapatnam, Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam hoisted the cautionary signal number one, as the deep depression is all set to turn into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours. The depression lay centered about 850 km southeast of Chennai and 550 km southwest of Port Blair. Weather officials said the system would move northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu-south Andhra coasts between Cuddalore and Nellore in the early hours of December 29.

The present rain fall is occurring under its influence.   In Andhra, mercury has dipped at several places in Vizag in the last two days with Chintapalli and G K Veedhi mandals recording 3 degree Celsius. Lambasingi village in G K Veedhi recorded a low of 0 degree Celsius on Sunday, while several interior villages are reeling under intense cold spell in the last couple of days.

While  rain  & swally winds reaching 45 to 55 kmph that are forecast in coastal Tamilnadu; the  authorities in Andhra Pradesh have sounded high alert along the south coast and also in adjoining Rayalaseema region. Nellore district administration has advised people in the low-lying areas near the coast to move to safe places. The districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari have also gone on high alert. The officials have asked fishermen, who had gone in high seas, to return to the coast immediately.  The authorities have also set up control rooms in Nellore and Ongole in Prakasam district to monitor the situation.

Here is a Satellitte image of the depression - courtesy Indian Meteorological Department satellite - Kalpana

With regards – S. Sampathkumar