Cyclone Vardah, which crossed the coast on Tuesday afternoon, is one of the most intense cyclonic storms to have passed through Chennai in recent decades. Meteorologists recall that the last time a cyclonic storm hit Chennai was in October 1994, when the city received 25 cm of rainfall in one day.
Cyclone Vardah crossed as a severe cyclonic storm near the Chennai port between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday. What makes it similar to the one in 1994 is the location of the landfall. Meteorologists noted that the naming convention of cyclones was not in place then. The cyclone crossed the coast of Chennai on October 31 around midnight. Strong winds of up to 65 kmph uprooted trees and a storm surge of 0.5 metre above the tide occurred then.
The Hindu on November 1 reported that the cyclonic storm had left 15 persons dead in Chennai, uprooted 1,500 trees and disrupted transport services. Decades before, on November 4, 1966, it was reported that a cyclonic storm that crossed Madras had rendered about 8,000 people homeless. As many as 26 persons died when a ship broke in two.
Y.E.A. Raj, former deputy director general of meteorology, Chennai, said the 1994 cyclone brought good rain to the city although Meenambakkam received only 4 cm,” he said. “Several factors are taken into account to fix the exact location of landfall. During cyclone Thane in 2011, we surveyed the stretch between Chidambaram and Cuddalore that was most affected and the direction of the uprooting of the trees apart from the weather data,” he added.
