Cyclone Michong: Chennai Flights Resume, CM Inspects Damage
On Tuesday, 5 December, tropical Cyclone Michaung will cross the Andhra Pradesh in Bapatla district between the cities of Nellore and Machilipatnam, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday evening, 4 December.
IMD is clear that the storm centered around 80 km southwest of Nellore and 120 km North of Chennai at 5.30 pm on Monday and continued moving northward along the Andhra Pradesh coast, has conducted heavy rain to most areas in Tamil Naidu and Andhra Pradesh and Southern Odisha.
An Unusual Cyclone
Because of unfavorable ocean conditions, storms forming over the North Indian Ocean in December typically do not reach destructive intensities. Michaung are not normal at this type of the year, conducting high-intensity cyclones, and bringing heavy and ubiquitous rain.
The IMD had announced that Michaung would conduct a tropical cyclone (wind speeds of 62 kph to 87 kph) before it passed the Andhra Pradesh coast. Yet, the IMD refurbished it to the intensity of a Severe storm (Wind speeds of 88 kph to 166 kph). The IMD said that the intensification of a cyclone in December is unusual. The above-normal value of the heat index of the southern Andhra Pradesh coast conducts to the bolster of Michaung.
Indian Tropical Storms
Every year, a minimum of five cyclones develop in the North Indian Ocean basin consisting of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Of these, a middle range of four cyclones was conducted over the Bay of Bengal and one over the Arabian Sea. However, storms in the Arabian Sea commonly achieve greater intensities, posing a substantial threat of causing extensive damage.
During the pre-monsoon (April-June) and post-monsoon (October-December) months, the North Indian Ocean basin is most susceptible to cyclone development. Due to the favorable conditions present in the ocean, cyclones forming in May and November often achieve more significant intensities than storms originating at different times.
Storm Intensification
Tropical Cyclones are caused by ocean heat. Ocean temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius or more, triumph at depths between 50 meters and 100 meters, are favorable for cyclogenesis, which is dedicated to the procedure that leads to the development and strongness of the cyclone. The swift intensification of a cyclone at sea is influenced by warm oceans. An essential oceanographic parameter, known as Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP), plays a crucial role in the genesis, intensification, and propagation of cyclones.
What after landfall
The IMD has warned over the heavy to vast heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, over the Godavari, Krishna, Palnadu, Srikakulam, Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema, Kurnool, Yanam, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and YSR districts of Andhra Pradesh. In these next two days, it is anticipated to cause extensive crop damage. The nearing harvest like paddy, pineapple, and other crops could be ruined and hit due to the extremely heavy rainfall.
Strong winds are also experienced with speeds of 90-100 kph gusting to 110 kph during the landfall. The IMD alert for flash floods in low-lying areas of Yanam, Karaikal, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh. After passing the Andhra coast, the cyclone is expected to continue moving northwestward towards southern Odisha.
