MinuTweets

On this day remembering the 1964 Rameswaram Cyclone =============== On this day, Remembering the 1964 Rameswaram Cyclone. How much life we could have been saved if social media was there in 1964 atleast those in the dreaded train journey. A strong Weather blogging community will directly or indirectly make the alerts reach the last mile connectivity atleast during the extreme events. The only super cyclone that hit Tamil Nadu. --------------------- As per IMD scale, Cyclones where wind speed cross 220 km/hr are called as super cyclones. Tamil Nadu does not see 200 km/hr cyclones in its coastline even one such cyclone in a century is a very rare. 1964 Rameswaram Cyclone is only one cyclone in 20th century with windspeed crossing 200 km/hr while crossing the land. Just think of 250 km/hr wind speed in comparison with other cyclones that have crossed the Tamil Nadu in the last 30 years. Maximum sustained observed winds at the time Cyclone crossing TN coast in last 30 years since 1990 ------------------------- 1993 - Karaikkal Cyclone - Karaikkal - 167 km/hr 2011 - Cyclone Thane - Cuddalore - 140 km/hr 2018 - Cyclone Gaja - Vedaranyam - 130 km/hr 2000 - Cuddalore Cyclone - Cuddalore - 120 km/hr 1991 - Karaikkal Cyclone - Karaikkal - 120 km/hr 1992 - November Cyclone - Thoothukudi - 120 km/hr 2016 - Cyclone Vardah - Chennai- 122 km/hr 1994 - Madras Cyclone - Chennai - 116 km/hr 1996 - December Cyclone - Chennai - 100 km/hr Sri Lanka the protector of Ramanathapuram-Thoothukudi coast ----------------- Sri Lanka has protected the India land mass of Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi from cyclones. But at the same time, most cyclone avoid Sri Lanka and move towards Delta or Cuddalore or Chennai coast. We can number of strong cyclones which crossed Sri Lanka 1964, 1978, 1992 and 2000. These are the 4 cyclones which have crossed Sri Lanka. Whenever these cyclones crossed and remained strong cyclone in Gulf of Mannar, they have caused massive damage. Of which, 1964 cyclone winds and storms surge caused massive advantage to Tamil Nadu. The wind speed crossed over 250 km/hr from this cyclone. 1992 cyclone caused massive rains for Manjolai belt 965 mm in 24 hrs in Kakkachi still remains the wettest day in Tamil Nadu. Most of the time the cyclone moving into Gulf of Mannar is able to strengthen back again and make strong landfall over Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts. The 1964 cyclone summary is given in one of the photo. The devastation caused by the cyclone is unimaginable. I witnessed 1994 Madras Cyclone and 2016 vardah cyclone both wind speeds touched close to 120 km/hr which itself was deadly. Just assume 250 km/hr winds over Dhanushkodi in 1964, it would be one of the worst fury a nature can produce. Chennai strongest cyclone is the 1966 November 1st week cyclone where satellite estimate show winds reached close to 192 km/hr off the coast of Kalpakkam. Had 1964 is to repeat some day in the future, which surely will happen in this century, then we can be well warned this time and the loss of life which occurred in 1964 can never happen again.