See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/346644159

Cyclone Burevi -A Cyclonic Storm of Double-acting Landfall Process

Article · December 2020

CITATIONS READS
2 372

1 author:

Gautam Kumar Das

263 PUBLICATIONS 470 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Gautam Kumar Das on 05 December 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

12/5/2020 Frontier articles on Society & Politics

Cyclone Burevi – A Cyclonic Storm of Double-acting Landfall Process

Gautam Kumar Das

Cyclones some mes doubled the roles for stormy devasta on and the execu oner for performing double landfall processes. The recently
formed Cyclone Burevi, emerged from the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, doubled up with the uncontrollable fury of nature with the
double-ac ng landfall process in two countries consecu vely striking first over Sri Lanka at Mullai vu, north of Trincomalee on 2
December 2020, and second yet to strike Indian coast at Tu corin in between Kanyakumari and Pamban of Tamil Nadu scheduled on 4
December 2020 as per forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), but the second landfall not yet happened. Only a er a
week of devasta on by the very severe cyclonic storm Nivar (26 November 2020), southern peninsular coastal stretch of India is to be
ravaged again by the Cyclone Burevi. Before the occurrences of the cyclones Burevi and Nivar, Cyclone Ga hit Somalia coast on 23
November and Cyclone Nisarga destroyed Maharashtra coastal region on 6 June 2020 emerging from the Arabian Sea. Before the
forma on of these cyclones, Amphan, the maiden Super Cyclone of the century ravaged the south districts of Bengal of both India and
Bangladesh on 20 May 2020 emerging from the Bay of Bengal. Thus, the Cyclone Burevi is the 5th cyclonic storm in the peninsular India in
2020, and the third cyclonic event formed over the Bay of Bengal. Such consecu ve occurrences of cyclonic storms is the consequence of
the forma on of weather system over the higher sea surface temperature (SST) which is strengthened by the sufficient energy in the form
of heat and moisture in the North Indian Ocean peak cyclone season during October – December and April – June in a year respec vely.
Intensifica on of cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) is directly correlated to that sea surface temperature. Even in the huge
rainfall precipita on during the landfall processes of the cyclonic storms, the sea surface temperature over the Bay of Bengal is recorded
29 – 300C for major cyclonic events in peninsular India. That sea surface temperature over the Bay of Bengal favoured and strengthened
the weather system for the forma on of the cyclonic storm Burevi, though cyclone Burevi has not become a very severe cyclonic storm to
the peninsular India for its physical nature of two consecu ve landfall processes and the cyclonic weather system linger for a much longer
dura on. The weather system has to come across a long distance over the warmer water of the Bay of Bengal before its strike upon the
coastal region.

The year 2020 is a world-wide remarkable year for the corona pandemic due to the pathogenic contamina on of Covid 19 and for the
several severe cyclonic disturbances in coastal peninsular India. Again, the first day of December, the last month of this year 2020 starts
with a cyclonic note for India as the cyclone Burevi formed over the Bay of Bengal and the adjacent ocean on 28 November and hit Sri
Lanka on 2 December and the peninsular India likely on 4 December. Cyclone Burevi is generated with the forma on of a low pressure
area over the South Andaman Sea, and the adjoining areas of southeast Bay of Bengal, and Equatorial Indian Ocean on 28 November
2020. The low pressure area has formed a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal on 30 November 2020 and a deep depression at
0530 hours IST on 1 December 2020, respec vely. That deep depression is intensified into a cyclonic storm Burevi at 1730 hours IST on 1
December 2020 and is further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm at 1930 hour IST on 2 December 2020 as reported by the Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD). Deep depression has become a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal when its maximum sustained
wind speed (MST) ranges from 34 to 47 knot/kmph. Cyclone Burevi is the 4th named storm in the new list (April 2020) for the Tropical
cyclonic names of the North Indian Ocean and the 5th storm in the Indian Ocean for 2020 and 3rd in the Bay of Bengal in 2020. For the
influence of the cyclonic storm Burevi, different areas like Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Pamban, Tondi and
Kanyakumari including the other coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and Maharashtra have received heavy to very heavy
rainfall along with high-velocity winds. Further, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert of a storm surge of up to
3.2 feet high above astronomical de which may inundate low-lying areas of Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and
Kanniyakumari districts in Tamil Nadu during the me of landfall, though the speed of the cyclonic movement of the cyclone Burevi is
fluctua ng in nature when it advances towards the coastal region.

Speed of progress of Cyclone Burevi over the Bay of Bengal

Date Time (hours IST) Speed (kmph)

30.11.2020 1730 7
01.12.2020 0830 11
02.12.2020 0830 15
02.12.2020 1430 18
03.12.2020 0530 12
03.12.2020 1130 11
04.12.2020 0830 0 (sta onary)

(Source: IMD)

www.frontierweekly.com/views/dec-20/5-12-20-Cyclone Burevi.html 1/3

12/5/2020 Frontier articles on Society & Politics
On 2 December 2020, cyclone Burevi is further intensified as severe cyclonic storm and is rapidly organizing and strengthening steadily
and has developed a circular dense overcast cloud mass, a manifesta on of its intensifica on as a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of
Bengal. For remedial measures, total 5 teams of Na onal Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived at Thoothukudi and Tiruneveli districts
of Tamil Nadu for the rescue opera ons par cularly in the low-lying region of the state – reported by The Indian Express. Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD) alerted the fishermen communi es not to go down the seas again in between 1 to 4 December. Tamil
Nadu government is fully prepared to face the strong wind speed of 70 – 80 kmph gus ng to 90 kmph during the second strike of the
cyclone Burevi in the south Tamil Nadu coast. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued warning to Lakshadweep, Maldives and
adjoining areas of the Arabian Sea and the fishermen of those areas are alerted for total suspension of fishing opera on during 3-5
December 2020.

For a precau on measure, Government of Sri Lanka evacuated more than 75,000 people in the low-lying areas of the east coast of the
country and opened 237 relief centers in the district of Trincomalee. Sri Lanka Government no fied for the closure of all educa onal
ins tu ons in the Northern Province and Eastern Province un l at least December 4 due to the huge rainfall and gusty winds for the
Cyclone Burevi. Government of Tamil Nadu opened 63 relief centers in the Thoothukudi district, and the temporary barriers are
constructed with 30,000 sandbags to stop breaching of saline water into the irriga on tanks. In Kerala, more than 2000 relief camps are
opened up in the low-lying areas along the coastal region as red alert is issued for the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha,
Kollam, and Pathanamthi a and orange alerts for the districts of Ko ayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam. Fishing opera ons in the deep sea and
coastal sea have completely been banned for the fishermen’s community by the Kerala Government.

Huge rainfall precipita on has been con nuing in the coastal areas of three states for the occurrence of the Cyclone Burevi. Extreme
southern districts of Tamil Nadu have received con nuous heavy rainfall for the cyclonic storm.

Rainfall precipita on during the advancement of Cyclone Burevi

Name of the Areas Name of the Districts Rainfall (mm)

0830 hours IST 02.12.2020 to 0830 hours IST 03.12.2020

Vedaranyan Nagapa nam 200

Karaikal Karaikal 160
Thalaignayer Nagapa nam 150
Tirupoondi Nagapa nam 150
Nagapa nam Nagapa nam 140
Thiruthuraipoondi Tiruvarur 130
Rameswaram Ramanathapuram 120
Mudukulatur Ramanathapuram 110
Sirkali Nagapa nam 100
Kodavasal Tiruvarur 100
Adirampatnam Thanjavur 100
Manjalaru Tiruvarur 100
Tiruvarur Tiruvarur 100
Aduthurai Aws Thanjavur 100
Tamparam Chengalpa u 90
Pa uko ai Thanjavur 90

(Source: IMD)

Landfall process of a cyclone creates most chao c situa ons in the surrounding environments that leads to the worst weather condi ons.
Cyclone Burevi started its first landfall process near the north of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka by 2230 hours of IST on 2 December 2020 and it
takes about three hours to complete the landfall process before entering into the Gulf of Mannar in the morning of 3 December 2020.
Cyclonic storm Burevi crossed the coastal areas of Sri Lanka closed to north Trincomalee near La tude 8.850N and Longitude 81.00E with
a windspeed of 80-90 kmph gus ng to 100 kmph with heavy to very heavy rainfall. A er making landfall over northeast Sri Lanka the
cyclonic storm Burevi moved west northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during the past 6 hours – reported by the Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclonic storm lay centered over Sri Lanka coast near La tude 9.00N and Longitude 80.30E near
about 40 km east of Gulf of Mannar, 120 km east southeast of Pamban and 320 km east northeast of Kanyakumari at 0530 hours of IST.
The most probable landfall is forecasted over the south Tamil Nadu coast near Ramanathpuram in the morning of 4 December 2020 as per
the bulle n issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). But surprisingly, on 3 December in the night, the Cyclone Burevi is no
more as a severe cyclonic storm as it lost its sufficient energy for the first landfall in the Sri Lanka coast and the storm yet to overcome a
rela vely longer passage before entering the coastal areas of Indian mainland. Further, the speed of progress of the storm has been
reduced to 12 kmph (at 0530 hours of IST) to 11 kmph at 0830 hours of IST on 3 December. Not only the low speed of progress of the
Cyclone Burevi a er the first landfall process in the Sri Lanka coast, but the height of the dal storm surge for the final landfall is reduced
to about 1 m height above astronomical de in the low-lying areas of Tamil Nadu in comparison to that of the storm surge height of 2-3 m
for the first landfall at Sri Lanka coast, though the Sri Lanka coastal areas witnessed a huge rainfall as the Cyclone Burevi earlier made its
first landfall at night on 02nd December near the north of Trincomalee district between Thiriyaya and Kuchchaveli villages and moved
near Mannar by 3 December early morning. At least 12,000 residents are affected by huge rainfall lashed and strong winds blown over the
Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka – reported The Hindu. The maximum rainfall of 279.8 mm in 2-3 December is recorded in
Kilinochchi of Sri Lanka. North Sri Lanka witnessed heavy downpour with Trincomalee recording 167 mm rainfall, Jaffna 245 mm and
Mannar 190 mm in 2-3 December 2020.

Cyclone Burevi is no more in the status of cyclone at 1730 hours IST of 3 December before its arrival to the Indian coast and is weakened
into a deep depression as it moved over the shallow water of the Gulf of Mannar and has crossed a longer passage over the ocean-land-
ocean. When a cyclone has lost its cyclonic status, it has lost even its name and is merely described as a deep depression. At 0830 hours
IST of 4 December, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a bulle n sta ng the status of the storm – the deep depression
remain prac cally sta onary over the Gulf of Mannar, about 40 km southwest of Ramanathapuram, 70 km west southwest of Pamban
with the associated wind speed of 55-65 kmph gus ng to 75 kmph and it will remain sta onary over the same region and downgraded
into a depression during the next 12 hours, and into a Well Marked Low (WML) during subsequent 24 hours. Storm Burevi has gradually

www.frontierweekly.com/views/dec-20/5-12-20-Cyclone Burevi.html 2/3

View publication stats

12/5/2020 Frontier articles on Society & Politics

been downgraded from deep depression into a depression and is no more in a situa on to make its second landfall in the peninsular India
that must reduce the damage of houses and proper es of the coastal inhabitants. The storm might lose its intensity par ally because of
the movement of the storm in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mannar and the Cyclone Burevi is likely to disappear within the ocean.
Cyclone Burevi emerged from the waters of the Equatorial Indian Ocean, then its gradual cyclonic progress emerged into view over the
land por ons of Sri Lanka coast, and finally it merged with the ocean waters in the Gulf of Mannar. Energy gained by a cyclonic storm
from the ocean waters is lost again in that ocean proves that the crea on and destruc on of a natural phenomenon must abide by the
laws of masses and energy of the nature of its own.

Fron er
Dec 5, 2020

Gautam Kumar Das ek tas@gmail.com

Your Comment if any

www.frontierweekly.com/views/dec-20/5-12-20-Cyclone Burevi.html 3/3