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Cyclone Mandous: IMD issues rain, wind alert for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry
The cyclone will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm on Thursday night and Friday morning and will weaken into a cyclonic storm again by Friday evening
Cyclone Mandous, which formed over southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday evening, is likely to intensify into a ‘severe’ cyclone clocking wind speeds of 85-95kmph gusting to 105kmph on Thursday night and Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. It will then gradually weaken into a cyclonic storm before reaching the Tamil Nadu coast near Mahabalipuram around Friday midnight, IMD said.
“Most atmospheric and oceanic conditions are favourable for cyclogenesis, including sea surface temperature, ocean heat content and energy, so it will gain intensity for tonight but on Friday, as it moves closer to the land surface, Mandous will weaken into a cyclone again. We are also expecting dry winds from land to help weaken it,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD.
Mandous over southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly west-northwestwards and lay centered on Thursday afternoon at least 250km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, 350km east of Jaffna, 390km east-southeast of Karaikal in Puducherry and 480km southeast of Chennai.
It is very likely to cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh between Puducherry and Sriharikota, around Mahabalipuram with a maximum sustained wind speed of 65-75kmph gusting to 85 kmph around Friday midnight. “On Thursday and Friday, the states and union territory should prepare for heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds,” Mohapatra added.
Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places are very likely over coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Isolated heavy rainfall over adjoining areas of south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema is likely on Thursday.
Gale wind with speeds reaching 75-85kmph gusting to 95kmph prevail over southwest Bay of Bengal. It will further increase to 80-90kmph gusting to 100kmph by Thursday night and gradually decrease to 75-85kmph gusting to 95kmph by Friday morning.
Squally wind with 40-50kmph speed gusting to 60kmph is likely to begin along and off Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, south Andhra Pradesh and north Sri Lanka coasts From Thursday, becoming 50-60kmph gusting to 70kmph from Friday morning and 65-75kmph gusting to 85kmph from Friday evening to early hours of Saturday.
It is likely to reduce gradually thereafter.
Sea conditions are likely to be high over southwest bay of Bengal and rough to very rough over adjoining areas of west-central and southeast Bay of Bengal till the early hours of Saturday. Sea conditions are likely to be rough to very rough along and off south Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Sri Lanka coasts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Storm surge of about 0.5 m height above the astronomical tide likely to inundate low lying areas of north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the time of landfall.
