Wednesday 31 October 2012

Cyclone Nilam Lurks off South Indian Coast


A satellite image of cyclone Nilam taken on Oct. 30.

As the east coast of the United States grapples with Hurricane Sandy, Cyclone Nilam is swirling about 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, off the east coast of southern India.

The cyclone, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon or evening between the district of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, could carry winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, meteorologists said. Schools and colleges are closed in Chennai, and officials warned local fisherman to stay on the land.

“No one should venture out in the sea,” said S.R. Ramanan, director of the Area Cyclone Warning Center in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The meteorological department said the seas off of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry will be rough.

Over the last 24 hours, the northern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore, received up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) of rain in some areas.

While the storm is nowhere near the size of Hurricane Sandy, winds are expected to barrel up to 100 kilometers per hour while the cyclone travels toward the northwest, but their speed will decelerate when the cyclone hits land, experts said. Weather conditions are expected to be calmer by Thursday.

According to the Indian meteorological department, a deep depression, a condition that precedes cyclonic winds, was noticed around the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time. In about three hours, the speed of wind exceeded 34 knots, about 63 kilometers per hour, the benchmark at which the storm can be classified as a cyclone.

Mr. Ramanan said that huts in low-lying areas could be damaged, and temporary outages of power and communication services could occur.

- New York Times

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