Severe cyclonic storm ‘Mandous’ weakened by a round as a conventional cyclone the over south-west Bay of Bengal on Friday afternoon, as predicted by India Meteorological Department (IMD), as it spun away to 280 km North of Triconamalee and 230 km to North-East of Jaffna, both in Sri Lanka, on Friday afternoon.
It was since located off the South Tamil Nadu coast at a distance of 180 km East-North-East of Karaikal and about 260 km South-South-East of Chennai. Being monitored by the Doppler Weather Radars at Karaikal and Chennai, ‘Mandous’ was expected to cross the coast between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mamallapuram as a conventional cyclone.
Landfall in into early hours
The landfall will be accompanied with maximum sustained winds of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph from midnight of Friday to the early hours of Saturday. The IMD has also said that a follow-up cyclonic circulation will develop over the South Andaman Sea, to which ‘Mandous’ also claims its roots in a similar format, over the next three to four days (around December 13).
IMD’s numerical model runs had hinted at this a few days ago and carried in these columns. In fact, the US National Centres for Environmental Predictions warned of a more expansive phase of rainfall over the entire coast from from south Andhra Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu during the week from December 17 to25 as an intensified ‘low’ moves to just South of Sri Lanka.
Trail of Mandous remnant
A remnant of ‘Mandous’ is forecast to roll its way across south interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and coastal Karnataka raining it down over the region over the next couple of days. It will step out into the south-east Arabian Sea where it may build further traction. By this time, the cyclonic circulation as mentioned above would have materialised over the South Andaman Sea.
The ‘Mandous’ remnant will cause light to moderate rainfall at most places over north interior Tamil Nadu, Rayalaseema and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh on Saturday with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places and heavy rainfall at isolated places over south interior Karnataka. On Sunday, heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over south interior Karnataka.