Tropical Cyclone Nilam 2012

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: October 31, 2012, 1:00:00 PM

Current Conditions Tropical Cyclone Nilam began crossing the Tamil Nadu coast at about 4:30 PM local time (11:00 UTC) with maximum wind speeds of about 80-90 kilometers per hour, gusting to 100 km/h. Landfall took place about 40 miles south of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, between the town of Mahabalipuram, an historic port and temple site, and Kalpakkam, the site of a nuclear power facility that supplies electricity to the region and is home to several other nuclear installations and research agencies. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that the storm’s central minimum pressure at landfall was about 992 mb. It also reported that as much as 25 cm (10 inches) of rainfall has fallen along most of Tamil Nadu’s northern coastal districts and coastal southern Andhra Pradesh, the state to Tamil Nadu’s north, over the past 24 hours. A storm surge of 1-1.5 meters (3.2 to 5 feet) over the astronomical tide has been reported in some places, which is high enough to inundate low-lying areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram, and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu and parts of Nellore District in Andhra Pradesh. Tropical Storm Nilam formed on Sunday, October 28, when an area of deep convection developed and transformed into a depression in the southwestern region of the Bay of Bengal. The system was upgraded to a deep depression on October 29, and after further intensification it was declared a tropical cyclone the next day, yesterday. Influenced by upper-air circulation, the system started moving to the northwest at a speed of about 18 km/h after remaining nearly stationary northeast of Sri Lanka for some time, where about 4,000 people have been dislocated by flooding caused by the storm. Reported Impacts Even before landfall, gusty winds had uprooted as many as 40 trees in Chennai, according to news reports, and Chennai Port had sent several ships out to sea for fear that they would be damaged in port when Nilam struck. The port has raised its warning to “level 7.” Strong winds caused an oil tanker, the Pratibha Cauvery, to run aground near Chennai’s Besant Nagar Beach; six members of the ship’s crew are feared missing after their lifeboat capsized in the choppy waters. Local fishermen reportedly rescued some of the men, and 15 crew members remain on board the stricken ship. In addition, the Press Trust of India reports that at least one person has died as a result of the storm. In Mahabalipuram, trees have been uprooted and lamp posts have blown over. Several areas of the town have power outages. More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from the Mahabalipuram area and taken to relief centers. In Chennai, schools and colleges have been closed since yesterday and will remain closed tomorrow. Two hundred eighty-two schools have been designated relief centers, and community kitchens have also been organized. Government offices and many private organizations closed at 3:00 PM local time Wednesday to reduce traffic congestion. In addition, the Chennai Mass Rapid Transport System—an elevated metropolitan railway line—has been shut down in anticipation of Nilam’s winds causing problems with overhead wires. The director of the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam said in a statement that both power reactors there are operating safely and that the facility is on standby alert with additional personnel deployed. All of the structures and equipment of the site were designed to withstand 160 km/h wind velocities, which is significantly above current and expected wind speeds brought by Nilam. Forecast Nilam’s low level circulation center over land is becoming elongated, causing the storm to weaken as it continues to track generally northwestward across southern India. The IMD expects Nilam to dissipate below a tropical cyclone threshold intensity of about 65 km/h (40 mph) over the next 24 hours. However, the IMD continues to warn of heavy to very heavy rainfall over that time period, with extremely heavy precipitation of 25 cm (10 inches) or more in some isolated locations along the northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry coasts, and, in interior Tamil Nadu, for the next 48 hours. Extensive damage to traditional housing (thatched roofs and huts, which are not insurable, is expected, and to standing crops and power lines. Minor damage to power and communication lines by uprooted trees has been reported, as noted above, but by the onset of nightfall there have been no reports of significant damage to large or otherwise insurable structures. The AIR tropical cyclone team continues to monitor Tropical Cyclone Nilam, but at this time does not expect to issue another NewsALERT.

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Posting Date: October 31, 2012, 1:00:00 PM