Tropical Cyclone Hudhud

Post Landfall 1 | Summary
Posting Date: October 13, 2014, 1:00:00 PM

Very severe cyclone Hudhud made landfall at 5:00 UTC on Sunday near Visakhapatnam with sustained wind speeds of 117 knots. Hudhud quickly weakened to a depression after landfall, according to the India Meteorological Department; it is now moving to the north-northwest over south Chhattisgarh and environs, located about 60 km west-northwest of Raipur. Although the storm is continuing to weaken, many regions are still being warned to watch for strong winds and flooding.

Reported Damage

The majority of the damage caused by Cyclone Hudhud is concentrated in Visakhapatnam, where the storm made landfall. Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, is the largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India. It has a population of 2 million. Currently, there is almost no way in or out of the city due to blocked roads and restricted rail traffic, and virtually no communication is possible with or within the city. Visakhapatnam International Airport operations have been suspended due to damage to the terminal and the destruction of radar and navigational aids, and the city’s port operations have been suspended. Power and cell phone signals are out across the Andhra Pradesh districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam.

Many of the commercial buildings in Asilmetta, Sampath Vinayaka Temple Road, Maddilapalem, and Muralinagar in Visakhapatnam have been badly damaged. Roofs and walls have been ripped off some residential buildings. Schools and colleges in the area remain closed. A reported 48,000 residential homes in Odisha’s southern districts are badly damaged, along with hundreds of electric poles, and 24 transformers. Because about 150,000 were evacuated ahead of Cyclone Hudhud’s landfall, it is believed that loss of life could have been far worse than the current report of 21 killed by the storm. These deaths have been attributed mainly to trees falling on people.

Forecast

Heavy rain is expected for the regions of Chhattisgarh and east Madhya Pradesh over the next 24 hours and over east Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar for the next 36 hours. These regions can expect rainfall amounts between 6.5 and 24.4 cm. Strong winds, between 16 to 22 knots, with gusts up to 27 knots, are expected for the area of Chhattisgarh for the next 12 hours. High waves of 2 to 3 meters are expected along the coast. The storm is expected to continue moving north-northwestward over the next 6 hours and further weaken.

The AIR tropical cyclone team continues to monitor Hudhud and will issue further information as warranted.

Post Landfall 1 | Downloads
Posting Date: October 13, 2014, 1:00:00 PM