{News} 081125! Bay depression may intensify, to cross TN coast

Bay depression may intensify, to cross TN coast

The Hindu Business Line, Nov 25, 2008
Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov. 25 The well-marked low-pressure area over north Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal has concentrated into a depression and lay centred 200 km southeast of Pamban and about 300 km south-southeast of Nagapattinam on Tuesday afternoon.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) expected the system to intensify further and move slowly in a northwesterly direction and cross Tamil Nadu coast by Wednesday night. International models seemed to delay the landfall until Thursday along the Pattukottai-Vedaranyam belt.

HEAVY RAINS
Heavy to very heavy falls and isolated extremely heavy falls are likely over coastal Tamil Nadu during the next two days. Isolated heavy to very heavy falls are also likely over interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the same period.

Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 km/hr gusting to 65 km/hr are likely along and off the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts. Sea condition is rough to very rough along and off Tamil Nadu coast. Fishermen are advised not to venture out.

Meanwhile, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) upgraded as good the potential of the system off Sri Lanka and extreme south Indian peninsula to develop into a tropical cyclone.

LITTLE PURCHASE
The threat of vertical wind shear (that kills building storms) was assessed as moderate to low on Tuesday. A limiting feature could be the proximity to land – especially since the system is shown to enter Tamil Nadu in the neighbourhood. But conversely, extended stay over seawaters and ensuing moisture feed could help crank up system strength.

A welcome result could be that the heavy rains would have cooled down the seawaters, denying purchase for an incoming easterly wave to grow to cyclonic strength.
Earlier forecasts by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Centre of the US had indicated that a powerful system could be in the making as the easterly wave made inroads into the Bay waters.

IOD IMPACT
Dr Swadhin Behera, Sub-Leader, Climate Variations Research Programme at the Tokyo-based Frontier Research Centre for Global Change (FRCGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, informed Business Line that the northeasterlies are usually strong in northeast and parts of peninsular India during winter monsoon following a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event.

The FRCGC team discovered the IOD event, which refers to sea-surface temperature differential between southwest and east Indian Ocean. A positive IOD features warmer seawaters to the southwest, which aids precipitation over India.

“So, those regions are expected to receive above normal rainfall. Eastern parts of Sri Lanka would also receive heavy rain following the positive IOD,” Dr Behera said.

“We have not done a detail analysis, but winter rains in northwest India tend to be weaker during a La Nina that is persisting in the equatorial Pacific. However, the surface temperature is usually colder than normal in such cases.

“So, relative to the passing of western disturbances, we may expect occasional heavy snow/severe cold waves in Jammu and Kashmir and the northern hills this season,” Dr Behera added.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112651221900.htm