Is Cyclone Vardah fiercest that Chennai faced?
CHENNAI: S Balachandran, director of the Area Cyclone Warning Centre on Tuesday confirmed what the common man had already guessed. The winds that accompanied Cyclone Vardah, when it crossed the shore here a day earlier, were immensely powerful.
“When Vardah made its landfall, Nungambakkam observatory recorded maximum speed of 114 kmph,” he said. The met department had warned that sustained maximum wind speed would be around 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph during the landfall.
Independent weather observers opine that Vardah is the strongest cyclone to hit Chennai in 22 years during the North East Monsoon season.
So, is Vardah the most powerful cyclone in these last decades? Using data from the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre for Tropical Cyclones over North Indian Ocean (RSMC), Express analysed three previous cyclones which had landfall in Chennai or in its close proximity.
Cyclone Jal made its landfall between November 4 - 8, 2010, at a location very close to North Chennai. However, it had considerably weakened before its landfall and turned into a deep depression.
As a result, rainfall wasn’t that severe in the city with less than 10 cm measured. The maximum wind speed, measured by the Ennore port, was 61 KMPH.
Cyclone Nilam in 2012 made its landfall (October 28- November 1) near Mamallapuram, around 60 km from Chennai. While the sustained maximum wind speed was estimated at around 80 KMPH, the Nungambakkam observatory recorded 74 KMPH. As far as rainfall was concerned, Nilam brought 13 cm rain to Mahabalipuram, while Nungambakkam and Chennai Airport got 9 cm and 8 cm respectively on October 31.
It is the 1994 cyclone, which is very similar to Vardah. The annual report of RSMC (1994) noted that “the eye of the cyclonic storm passed over Madras. There was no record so far this century where such an incident happened in a major city like Madras.”
The cyclone (October 29-31), claimed 69 lives in Tamil Nadu. The maximum sustained wind speed was estimated at 80 KMPH, but gusting upto 132 KMPH. Significantly, the Tambaram observatory recorded a wind speed of 116 KMPH on October 30.
The report also noted that inundation due to rising sea water was up to 5 km. Several stations in North Coastal Tamil Nadu recorded a heavy rain in the range of 10-36 cm.
According to N Jayanti, former Deputy Director General, Indian Meteorological Department, Pune, the damage potential of a cyclone is manifested in three ways viz., rainfall, force of wind and the storm surge.
With Vardah, the city recorded 12 cm of rain and winds howling at 114 KMPH. Data from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) indicate that sea waves rose to a maximum height of 8 metres. Thus, Vardah is without doubt the most powerful cyclone to have had a impact on Chennai.
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