A wind record breaker this one with highest rainfall recorded
The wind speed ranged between 80 kmph and 150 kmph as the Cyclone's intensity grew from strength to strength through the day on Monday.
Chennai: Packing a maximum wind speed of 150 kmph, Cyclone Vardah beat the 1994 October Cyclone record while also yielding an average rainfall of over 17 cm to parched Chennai, with the highest rainfall being recorded at Sathyabama University on OMR, which noted 33.7 cm.
The wind speed ranged between 80 kmph and 150 kmph as the Cyclone’s intensity grew from strength to strength through the day on Monday. The rains on Monday also helped the reservoirs that supply drinking water to the metropolis register a marginal increase in storage, but which are expected to see a sharp increase on Tuesday.
Though Cyclone Vardah weakened into a depression, the system is very likely to continue to move westwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during next 6 hours.
“Vardah with gusts of more than 150Kmph during the landfall is a historical cyclone. It had beaten the 1994 October cyclone, which noted speeds between 116 and 132 kmph,” said blogger at Weather of South India, Sai Praneeth.
Vardah, however left Puducherry and Mahabalipuram disappointed as those regions got only the lightest of drizzles from Vardah.
Under its pull effect, light to moderate rains is forecast to continue in isolated regions of the state, especially in Chennai and its neighbouring regions. Other Northern districts including Vellore would witness showers for the next two days. “Wind speed is expected to be within 15 - 20 kmph with moisture-rich easterlies prevailing over the city for next two days,” said Sai Praneeth.
According to many weather models, another system that is near Gulf of Siam is expected to dip towards North Tamil Nadu within a week. There are chances of it to be a weak system, say weather experts.