Cyclonic Storm Nilam () was a weak, but deadly

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

that became the deadliest tropical cyclone to directly affect South India since

Cyclone Jal Severe Cyclonic Storm Jal was the fifth named cyclonic storm and the fourth Severe Cyclonic Storm of the 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Jal developed from a low-pressure area in the South China Sea that organized into a Tropical Depression ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. The second named Cyclonic Storm of the rather quiet

2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season The 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was the second least active season on record, only behind 1993. The season had a very late start, with the first system forming in October. During the season, only five systems formed, of which only two ...

, Nilam originated from an area of low pressure over the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

on October 28, 2012. The system began as a weak depression 550 km (340 mi) northeast of

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Over the following few days, the depression gradually intensified into a deep depression, and subsequently a cyclonic storm by October 30. It made landfall near

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram (also known as Mahabalipuram), is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of ...

on October 31 as a strong cyclonic storm with peak winds of . In Chennai's

Marina Beach Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of , making it the second longest ...

, strong winds pushed piles of sand ashore and seawater reached nearly a inland. Schools and colleges in the city remained closed for more than three days. More than 3000 people were evacuated around Mahabalipuram in the wake of the storm. Schools and colleges in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

declared holidays until November 1 as 282 schools had been converted into relief centers. Government offices and private organizations closed their operations by 3 p.m. to ease traffic congestion. Cyclone shelters had been arranged in

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

and

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...

districts. Mahabalipuram and chennai faced power outages and 90 trees were uprooted and two huts were damaged. While damages to property were considerable, human casualties were very few. Nilam was initially estimated to have caused economic losses of around to . The figures soon went up to . Later, as the Andhra Pradesh government conducted their review on the storm, it was revealed that the state suffered huge economic losses of . In

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, heavy rains and strong winds felled over 86 trees. One fell on the compound wall of a police commissioner's residence, causing structural damage. In Basava Road, a tree pulled down power lines, along with six electric poles outing power in the locality. Over 3,000 tonnes of debris was cleared out using 285 trucks. of rainfall was recorded in the city with a maximum sustained windspeed of .

Meteorological history

In the early hours of October 27, the

India Meteorological Department India Meteorological Department (IMD) is an Indian agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. IMD is headquar ...

Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

started to monitor an area of low pressure, that had developed in south central Bay of Bengal. The next day, the system intensified into a Depression about to the northeast of

. The IMD officially designated it with BOB 02. During that day the depression moved towards the west and gradually developed further with deep convection surrounding the system becoming better organized. The

Joint Typhoon Warning Centre The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...

also noted that deep convection was building over a cloud-covered low level circulation center and issued a

Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formi ...

. Early the next day, RSMC New Delhi reported that the depression had intensified into a deep depression, before later that day the JTWC started to monitor the system as Tropical Cyclone 02B with windspeeds equivalent to a tropical storm. Nilam continued to track northwestward under the influence of a low to mid-level

subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...

. In the early hours of November 1, Nilam weakened into a deep depression. As it moved further inland into the

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema (IAST: ''Rāyalasīma'') is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and ...

region of Andhra Pradesh, Nilam further weakened into a Depression. The IMD continued tracking Nilam as a weak depression until November 2, when they issued their last warning on the system.

Preparations and impact

India

Andhra Pradesh

During the storm, 150,000 people were shifted to cyclone shelters in

Nellore district Nellore district, officially known as Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district in Coastal Andhra Region, is one of the 26 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. According to the 2011 Census, the district's population was 2,963,557 of which ...

. Along with Nellore, Chittoor district also saw very heavy rainfall. Severe flooding in

Prakasam district Prakasam district is one of the twelve districts in the coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised on 4 April 2022. The headquarters of the district is ...

blocked a highway and strong winds overturned a major truck. Several villages and towns in southern coastal Andhra Pradesh were flooded and heavy rains were also reported in

Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...

, a major city in north

Coastal Andhra Coastal Andhra, also known as Kosta Andhra (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kōstā Āndhra), is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising the coastal districts of the state between the East ...

. About 140 fishermen who all headed off a week ago, were reported to have been stranded off the

Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 3 were reportedly killed in Andhra Pradesh. On November 1, more than 200 boats ran aground due to strong winds. TV9, a

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

news channel reported that people in Nellore district continued to suffer from the effects of the storm even after landfall, due to lack of information regarding the cyclone. As Nilam weakened, heavy rainfall continued affecting south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Telangana with heavy rains and flash flooding. The Kandaleru-Poondi part of the

Telugu Ganga project The Telugu Ganga project is a joint water supply scheme implemented in India in 1980s by the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. G. Ramachandran, Maruthur Go ...

near

Gudur Gudur, natively known as Guduru, is a town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Gudur mandal, Nellore district, Gudur mandal and Gudur revenue division. Demographics As of ...

, reportedly overflowed cutting transportation across the river. Several villages in and around

Ongole Ongole (), natively known as Ongolu, is a city in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Prakasam district. It is known for Ongole cattle, an indigenous breed of oxen. Etymology The name 'Ongole' i ...

were inundated by floodwater. Several poor in coastal villagers who depended only on fishing had lost access to food and clean drinking water as fishing was prohibited for over three days. TV9 reported that over 12,000 poor had remained hungry over the past three days and no government official had visited the storm affected villages despite the prolonged shortage of food and lack of electricity. Severe flooding had blocked transportation between Ongole and the villages, stranding the villagers. Four more people were found dead in Andhra Pradesh, as two people were electrocuted near the New Port railway station in

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

. Another old woman was killed by

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

while a man was found dead under the debris of a broken wall. The death toll in the state went up to seven. Rains in Andhra Pradesh inundated 76,980 hectares of cropland, most of which was

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *A nickname or slur for an Irish person Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black ...

. As per reports, 449 electric poles were felled and 30 houses were damaged, out of which 16 houses were totally destroyed. In

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, heavy downpours from the cyclone's

rainbands A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and ...

caused a six degree temperature drop. Trees were reportedly uprooted in the city's suburbs of SR Nagar, Shantinagar and Jaya Gardens near

Malakpet Malakpet is one of the neighbourhoods in the old city area of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This is further divided into two parts, Old Malakpet and New Malakpet and is traditionally considered part of old city. This circle (6) comes under Char ...

Tamil Nadu

The Chennai Port sounded a 'Danger 7' alarm and had sent off ships to outer sea to minimize damage when the storm made landfall.

Madras Atomic Power Station Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) located at Kalpakkam about south of Chennai, India, is a comprehensive nuclear power production, fuel Nuclear reprocessing, reprocessing, and Nuclear waste, waste treatment facility that includes plutonium Nuc ...

Kalpakkam Kalpakkam is a township in Tamil Nadu, India, situated on the Coromandel Coast 70 kilometres south of Chennai. A conglomerate of two villages (Puduppattinam and Sadurangappatinam) and a DAE township, it is about from Thiruvanmiyur and f ...

officials stated that vigil was being maintained on all important equipment, and the reactors are made to withstand winds up to . The oil tanker ran aground near Chennai after drifting into the storm. One crew member was reported to be killed, with 5 others missing. 16 crew members had reportedly escaped. The state government later declared a holiday for all schools and colleges of coastal districts. Over eight people were killed on the first day itself, as the storm made landfall on Tamil Nadu. Floodwater totally inundated 51,486 hectares of directly sown farmland and 13,421 hectares of transplanted farmland; and partially submerged 4,404 hectares of directly sown area and 12,189 hectares of transplanted area. During the storm, 3,150 people were evacuated and kept in cyclone shelters at Thalainayar and

Keezhaiyur Keezhaiyur is a revenue village in the Karaikal taluk of Karaikal District. It is situated at a distance of about 6 kilometres south-east of Karaikal town and 2 kilometres east of Tirumalarajanpattinam Tirumalairayanpattinam is a census town ...

. Among the evacuees, 2,100 people were from Pirinchamoolai, Vandal and Gundooranvellir villages and were taken to community halls. The rest of the people were taken to the Thalainayar Government Higher Secondary School in Thalainayar. Some of municipality roads and of town panchayat roads were damaged by the rains. In Chennai, weather returned to normal. Schools and colleges in the city, however, remained closed for November 1 and 2. Residents gathered at the

Santhome Santhome is a locality in Mylapore in Chennai city (formerly Madras) in India. History The word ''Santhome'' or ''San Thome'' is derived from Thomas the Apostle, Saint Thomas. The tradition is that he was martyred in AD 72 at St.Thomas Mount in ...

beach, observing the relief and rescue efforts made to help the victims of the MV ''Pratibha Cauvery''. On November 2, one of the MT ''Pratibha Cauvery''s five missing sailors' bodies was found in the sea waters near Chennai. Four others remained missing even after a second day of search and rescue efforts which included four ships, two helicopters and two Dornier aircraft. A few hours later, a second body was found at the estuary of

Adyar River The Adyar River, which originates near the Chembarambakkam Lake in the Kanchipuram district, is one of the three rivers that winds through Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar estuary. The long river contributes ...

. Reports revealed that the ship's captain had ignored instructions to leave for safe waters following the cyclone alert. As efforts continued, another body was found afloat at sea. The Tamil Nadu death toll rose to 11, as a result. Though three bodies out of five were found, they were all yet to be identified. M. Jayaraman, a senior disaster management official, said that at least 16 people were killed in rainfall-related events. This figure, along with the deaths of the MV Pratibha Cauvery incident sent the Tamil Nadu death toll up to 19. On November 3, the remaining two bodies from the MV ''Prathiba Cauvery'' incident were recovered, sending the death toll up to 21.

Sri Lanka

Overall, 4,627 people were reportedly displaced due to the flooding and 56 people have left their homes in fear of landslides. Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center said that about 1,000 houses were damaged by the storm. Across Sri Lanka, ten people were killed in events related to Cyclone Nilam.

Aftermath

On November 3, Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre reported that the process of relief and recovery had started. In

Mullaitivu District Mullaitivu District (, ; , ) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Governmen ...

, evacuees in the evacuation centers were returned to their houses. The flood in

Kilinochchi Kilinochchi (; ) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road some south-east of Jaffna. It was the administrative center and de facto capital of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) until ...

had receded and the situation was normalized. In

Jaffna District Jaffna District ( ''Yāḻppāṇam Māvaṭṭam''; ''yāpanaya distrikkaya'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a ...

, divisional secretariats provided relief items and necessary amenities to the affected. In

Nuwara Eliya District Nuwara Eliya District (; ) is a district in Central Province, Sri Lanka, centered on the tourist city of Nuwara Eliya. Demographics According to the 2001 census of Sri Lanka, population of Nuwara Eliya district is 703,610, of which 50.5 ...

, families vulnerable to landslides were evacuated and sent to Vidulipura Temple. Meals and relief items were provided to the flood victims of

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

and

Gampaha Gampaha (Sinhala: ගම්පහ ; Tamil: கம்பஹா ) is an urban city in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated to the north-east of the capital Colombo. It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Provinc ...

districts.

Andhra Pradesh

In a review conducted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the next day, it was depicted that nearly 67,819 people of 21,655 families have been shifted to 86 relief camps across the state. Also, as per the report of Municipality of Andhra Pradesh, of roads, of drains, of water supply lines, 10,882 street lights and 36 municipal buildings were left in ruins, after the storm. As torrential rainfall damaged railway lines, several trains including Falaknuma Express,

East Coast Express The 18045 / 18046 East Coast Express is a daily train that runs between Charlapalli (Hyderabad) and Shalimar (Kolkata). Earlier this train's terminating stations were Hyderabad Deccan and Howrah. From 2022 the terminal has been shifted from Ho ...

, and the

Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam Godavari Express The 12727 / 12728 Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam Godavari Express is an Daily Superfast Express train of India's South Central Railway, operating between Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. History On 1 February 1974, the Indian Railways announced the f ...

were either delayed or cancelled. Severe flooding in the state reportedly killed another 15 people, taking the death toll up to 22. Despite several hours passed since Nilam made landfall, the convection persisted and caused very heavy rainfall in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Rains caused flash flooding and inundated five villages in

Srikakulam district Srikakulam district is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the six districts, located in the extreme northeastern direction ...

. To analyze the situation, Chief Minister

Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy (born 13 September 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 16th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 25 November 2010 and 1 March 2014. He was the last Chief Minister of the Andhra Pradesh before the format ...

conducted an aerial survey in flood affected areas. Also, heavy rains in Visakhapatnam district lead to a train derailment in Araku Valley, a famous tourist destination near Visakhapatnam. In

East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru ...

, floodwater reportedly overflew a railway bridge. A temple in the district along with the city of

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry ( ), officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmu ...

were inundated. TV9 supplied food and drinking water to the flood victims of the district. Following severe flooding in

West Godavari district The West Godavari district is a coastal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an administrative headquarters in Bhimavaram. As of the 2011 Census of India, the district has an area of and a population of 1,779,935. It is bounded ...

, four children were electrocuted on November 6. The death toll rose to 28. Around 500,000 hectares of cropland was ruined while 68,000 people were evacuated and taken to flood relief camps. On November 7, a government survey revealed economic losses of . Exactly double the figure of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh suffered more economic damage and life loss though it was not directly hit. After another four-day long search and rescue, a total of 44 people were confirmed dead.

Notes

References

External links

India Meteorological Department

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Corporate Disaster Resource Network, India

Rapid Response, India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilam 2012 in Sri Lanka 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season Cyclonic storms 2010s in Andhra Pradesh Disasters in Andhra Pradesh 2010s in Karnataka 2010s in Maharashtra Disasters in Maharashtra 2010s in Tamil Nadu Disasters in Tamil Nadu Tropical cyclones in India Tropical cyclones in Sri Lanka Tropical cyclones in 2012

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

India

Andhra Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Sri Lanka

Aftermath

Andhra Pradesh

See also

Notes

References

External links