Cyclone Mandous has weakened into a deep depression over Tamil Nadu following landfall.
Here are 10 points on this big story:
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The cyclone made landfall around 10.30 pm on Friday and crossed the coast near Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) in Tamil Nadu, between Puducherry and Sriharikota, around 1.30 am with a wind speed of 75 km an hour. It then weakened into a deep depression with Chennai receiving up to 115.1 mm of rain till 5.30 am.
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Around 200 trees have been uprooted in Chennai. Streets in the city were waterlogged due to heavy rainfall. However, major damage was averted due to proactive measures by the authorities, officials said. Trees were uprooted on East Coast Road and GST Road in Chengalpattu district as well.
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Ahead of the landfall, 13 domestic and three international flights were cancelled at the Chennai airport due to bad weather. “Passengers are requested to check with concerned airline(s) for further updates,” tweeted Chennai International Airport.
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Though the intensity lessened — as was expected — three districts are on Red Alert: Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram that border the capital Chennai, and Villupuram just south of them. Schools and colleges were already shut in 12 districts of the state, including Chennai.Â
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On the intensity scale, it was earlier classified as ‘Severe Cyclonic Storm’, the fourth highest, meaning winds of 89-117 km per hour. It has since come down to ‘Cyclonic Storm’ with winds at 62-88 km/hour. (The most extreme type is ‘Super Cyclonic Storm’, with winds at 222+ km an hour.)
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A storm warning flag was hoisted earlier on Friday at the Puducherry port and fisherfolk asked not to venture into the sea. The National Disaster Response Force is ready in Chennai. The Greater Chennai Corporation ordered to close all parks and playgrounds.
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Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh may also be affected. “[The cyclone] would continue to move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mahabalipuram… during midnight of today, the 9th December to early hours of 10th December,” the statement by India Meteorological Department read.
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The cyclone was named by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a member of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). In Arabic, it means “treasure box” and is pronounced as “Man-Dous”.
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It is a slow moving cyclone and absorbs a lot of moisture. The cyclone gains strength in the form of wind speeds. An official statement by the weather department said the cyclone was “very likely” to maintain its intensity of ‘Severe Cyclonic Storm’ till early morning Friday, “and then weaken gradually”. That happened.
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Cyclones across the world are named by the respective specialised regional meteorological centres and tropical cyclone warning centres. There are six regional centres, including the IMD; and five tropical warning centres.
