Closer home, cyclone Nilam threatens TN, AP

Barely ten months after tropical cyclone “Thane” devastated North Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pondicherry in December 2011, another cyclonic storm christened “Nilam” now threatens to again hit the same vulnerable coastline putting the disaster response machinery in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on full alert.

With high tides lashing coastal Andhra Pradesh, the authorities asked the fishermen in AP districts along the Bay of Bengal coast in Andhra Pradesh not to venture into the sea till further intimation.

Even as many places over North TN coast, particularly the “high risk zone” of Nagapattinam has been experiencing heavy rainfall since Monday, Dr S R Ramanan, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here on Tuesday disclosed that the ‘deep depression’ over the Southwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into cyclonic storm Nilam which is expected to batter the east coast from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh, bringing rain to the parts in Karnataka.

The tropical storm at 1430 hours on Tuesday lay centred about 450 km south-southeast of Chennai and 130 km north-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. Nilam is predicted to move north-northwestward and cross the North Tamil Nadu and adjoining the South Andhra Pradesh coast, “between Cuddalore and Nellore near Chennai” by Wednesday evening.

While heavy rains in Nagapattinam district alone in the last two days have already claimed three lives due to wall collapses and electrocution, under the influence of this system, weathermen have forecast squally winds, with speed “reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph”, along and off TN and Pondicherry coasts during the next 12 hours.

The wind speed would gradually increase thereafter as the system came closer to the coast, the RMC said in its latest weather bulletin in the evening, adding. The sea condition will be “very rough to high” along and off the same coast extending up to South Andhra Pradesh during the next 48 hours. Fishermen out at sea have been alerted to return to the coast at once.

The stormy conditions, which have intensified the North-East Monsoon in the State, may lead to “isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall” over coastal Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry during next 48 hours. Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over interior Tamil Nadu, South coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Lakshadweep. Besides, parts of Karnataka also  too receive isolated rain, the RMC said.

Wet morning expected today

It is likely to be a wet morning on Wednesday in Bangalore and southern parts of the State, as Karnataka will feel that effect of cyclonic storm Nilam which is likely to hit the east coast late Wednesday night, according to the weatherman, reports DHNS.
Met department officials said nearly all districts in Karnataka would receive moderate to rather heavy rainfall all of Wednesday.