The 1998 Andhra Pradesh cyclone was a weak but deadly tropical depression which impacted India, especially the state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, in October 1998. The eight depression and seventh deep depression of the

1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone season The 1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was an active season in annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period ...

, BOB 03 developed from a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal on October 13. The next day, it made landfall near peak intensity. Rapidly weakening once inland, the depression dissipated the next day.

Meteorological history

On October 13, a low-pressure area spawned in the monsoonal shear zone over the Bay of Bengal on October 13. Later that day, 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 ...

(IMD) began monitoring the low off the eastern coast of India, designating it as ''BOB 03'' since it was in 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 18:00 UTC that day, BOB 03 would intensify into a deep depression, peaking with 3-minute sustained winds of . On 16:00 UTC the next day, it would make landfall near Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh. Once inland, BOB 03 would rapidly weaken, weakening into a depression two hours later. The system would be last noted by the IMD on 00:00 UTC on October 15, dissipating around that time.

Preparations and impact

Since the depression was weak when it affected land, it mainly produced heavy rainfall, which damaged croplands and property.Ashok B. Sharma (October 19, 1998). Southern States Still Under Monsoon Spell. ''Financial Express''. Daily rainfall totals reached in some areas, triggering flash flooding in areas previously affected by heavy rainfall. Due to the depression, the

Kalingapatnam Kalingapatnam is a village in Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Gara mandal of Srikakulam revenue division. It has one of the major beach sand deposits of the state. In medieval era it was famous for t ...

weather station recorded in rainfall on October 14, while the

Avanigadda Avanigadda is a town in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Avanigadda mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division. This area compromises the old area of Diviseema. Geography Avanigadda i ...

weather station recorded in rainfall on October 15. During the morning of October 14, the

Srisailam Dam The Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River in Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh and Nagarkurnool district, Telangana near Srisailam temple town and is the 2nd largest capacity working hydroelectric station in India. The d ...

overflowed, inundating a nearby powerhouse and forcing officials to shut down the plant. The following day, the water level of the dam kept rising, causing nearly 53,000 residents in the area to be evacuated.Staff Writer (October 17, 1998). Krishna rising, thousands evacuated. ''The Hindu''. 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 ...

, schools and government offices were closed.Staff Writer (October 14, 1998). Heavy rain to continue due to depression. ''The Hindu''. Numerous highways were also closed due to flowing water.Staff Writer (October 16, 1998). Srisailam power plant under water, shut down. ''The Hindu''. In total, the depression caused 101 fatalities and , in damages. It also submerged 50 bridges and damage 52,657 acres of crops.

References

{{reflist 1988 in India Tropical storms Andhra Pradesh 1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 1998 floods 1990s floods in Asia

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References