Cyclone Vardah

Cyclone Vardah

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Vardah was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 2016 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The system struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as South India, before later affecting Somalia. The storm made landfall close to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, with winds of 65 mph on December 12.

About Cyclone Vardah in brief

Summary Cyclone VardahVery Severe Cyclonic Storm Vardah was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 2016 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The system struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as South India, before later affecting Somalia. Originating as a low pressure area near the Malay Peninsula on December 3, the storm was designated a depression on December 6. It gradually intensified into a Deep Depression on the following day, skirting off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On December 9, it consolidated into a Severe Cyclone Storm, before peaking as a Very Severe Cyclone Storm, with 3-minute sustained winds of 80 mph, on December 11.

The storm made landfall close to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, with winds of 65 mph on December 12. It rapidly weakened into a depression, due to land interaction, on 13 December, before moving ashore and dissipating on December 19. The precursor low of Cyclone Vardah caused severe flooding in Thailand, affecting half a million residents in the country’s southern provinces. 21 people were reported to be killed due to the floods, and the damage were about US$25 million. More than 12,26,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas as a result of the storm.