Gaja refuses to calm down; rages as cyclone over interior TN

Erstwhile severe cyclone Gaja that crossed near Vedaranniyam in Tamil Nadu may have weakened but still is raging as a cyclone over land in the interiors of the state.

Gaja wound down to a cyclone at around 7.30 am this morning and was traced as a cyclone to 95 km west of Atiramapattinam and 110 km east-north-east of Kodaikanal at 8.30 am. 

Heavy rain for Tamil Nadu

The severe cyclone brought heavy to very rain at various places in the State and adjoining Kerala till 8.30 am in the morning. Main stations recording rain are (in cm): Atiramapattinam-16; Cuddalore-9; Puducherry-7; Kodaikanal and Nagapattinam-6; Kanniyakumari, Tuticorin New Port, Pamban and Thanjavur-5 each; Tiruchhirappalli and Thiruvananthapuram-4 each.

The cyclone is expected to move nearly westwards and into Kerala and weaken into a deep depression over the next three hours.

The remnant of 'Gaja' now probing the hilly terrain of interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala will head into the South-east Arabian Sea where it could become a fresh low-pressure area and intensify again.

Meanwhile, India Met Department (IMD) said cyclonic circulation over Malay peninsula and equatorial Indian Ocean may set up a fresh 'low' central parts of South Bay of Bengal by Sunday.

Fresh low soon

An IMD outlook from November 21 to 23 signalled fairly widespread rain for Tamil Nadu and adjoining south peninsular India with intense rainfall activity over the former. Forecast for today said heavy rain at a few places over interior Tamil Nadu with very heavy rain at isolated places and heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Kerala.

Gale-force wind with speeds reaching 65- to 75 km/hr gusting to 85 km/hr are likely over central parts of Tamil Nadu. The wind speeds would gradually decrease becoming 60 km/hr and gusting to 70 km/hr.  Strong winds with speed reaching up to 40 km/hr and gusting to 50 km/hr are likely over the rest of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, the Comorin area and Gulf Mannar. 

Sea condition is likely to be 'high' to 'very high' (wave heights of 30- to 46 ft) and along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the Palk Strait early into tomorrow morning. The Met has put put an advisory warning fishermen against venturing into these areas during this period.

Beats expectations

Earlier, the IMD had all along the held the view that the severe cyclone would wind down to the status of a cyclone while crossing the coast late last evening. Gaja not only retained its severe cyclone status, but also delayed its landfall to between 0030 am and 2.30 am to early this morning featuring high winds of 100- to 110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h.

The US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre had stuck to the view that there was no prospect of the severe cyclone weakening while crossing the Tamil Nadu coast. 

'Gaja' had lain centred at 2.30 am over coastal about 15 km west-north-west of Vedaranniyam. It was then expected to move nearly westwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm.

Though center of the cyclone lay over land, the rear sector of 'eye wall' was still over sea then. The maximum wind (at 1.30 am) reported during landfall were: Atirampattinam-117 km/hr;  Nagapattinam-100 km/hr; and Karaikal-92 km/hr at 1.30 am. 

At 3.30 am, the severe cyclone lay 40 km west-north-west of Vedaranniyam and 15 km north-west of Atiramapattinam. 

'Eye' enters land

The Met estimated that it would weaken as a cyclone over the next six hours even as the entire 'eye' of the cyclone entered land. At 4.30 am, the severe cyclone was located to 15 km north-west of Atiramapattinam and was expected to wind down as a cyclone by 7.30 am.

The strength and intensity of the cyclone was manifest in the fact that it retained its 'full disc' shape more or less four to five hours after the landfall.

At 5.30 am, the severe cyclone weakened as a conventional cyclone, more than five hours after it made a landfall and lay 20 km west-north-west of Atiramapattinam. At 6.02 am, cyclone 'Gaja' featured bands of heavy rain around the centre and wind speeds of 90-100 km/hr over interior Tamil Nadu.

The narrow strip of the extreme South Peninsula allowed for continuous supply of moisture from both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea helping it to maintain intensity. At 6.32 am, after nearly westward movement for half an our, the 'eye' got smaller, indicating that was progressively filling up, signalling the weakening of the storm.

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