APCEDI ALERT Sri Lanka-BOBW, Cyclone Fanoos (06B/TD 2), #4, 2006: Cyclone Fanoos forms in Bay of Bengal, Threatens Sri Lanka and Southeast India

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the Sri Lanka and India Departments of Meteorology are providing guidance on Cyclone Fanoos (06B/TD2) in the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone O6B, formally Tropical Depression TD2, was named Fanoos by the Indian Department of Meteorology this morning.

Cyclone Fanoos is located about 600 km northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka or 750 km east-southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and is moving to the southwest at 04 kt. The JTWC has issued 4 cyclone alerts for this system.

With the increase in intensity and the movement to the southwest, this is increasingly becoming a serious situation for both Sri Lanka and Southeast India. Both countries are warning all maritime and fishing interests in affected areas to stay in port or if at sea, to seek shelter at the closest point immediately.

Given the heavy flooding in Tamil Nadu from Cyclone Baaz, and the saturation of soils throughout much of Southeast India and Sri Lanka from subsequent tropical waves, Cyclone Fanoos has the potential to cause widespread severe to localised devastating flooding across the area in and around where it comes ashore. This includes storm surge flooding, continued flooding of large area rivers and flash-flooding in hill areas. Chennai's 2 main rivers, the Adyar and Cooum continue at or near flood stage in many areas throughout the city and in rural areas. Thus any additional heavy rain in and around Chennai in the next 2-3 days has the potential to make the situation much worse. More details on the news of the flooding in Chennai can be found in The Hindu

Authorities, aid workers and residents, especially in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh should maintain extreme vigilance with this system. Government and aid workers (including all AFAP, NSRC, RRI and other affiliated aid workers) along the Sri Lankan coast and in flood prone areas, should continue to carefully monitor this system and be prepared to assist communities in which they are working should the situation warrant and the Government of Sri Lanka issue any flood or storm warnings.


FROM JOINT TYPHOON WARNING CENTER
http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html

070900Z POSITION NEAR 10.9N 86.7E.
TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC) 06B, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 410 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MADRAS, INDIA, HAS TRACKED SOUTHWESTWARD AT 04 KNOTS OVER THE PAST 06 HOURS. THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD, THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN TO SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE LOW TO MID LEVEL STEERING RIDGE ANCHORED OVER THE NORTHERN ARABIAN SEA. DUE TO THE CURRENT AND FORECAST ENVIRONMENT OF MODERATE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, INTENSIFICATION AT LESS THAN A CLIMATOLOGICAL RATE IS EXPECTED THROUGH TAU 48. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 070600Z IS 15 FEET. NEXT WARNINGS AT 072100Z AND 080900Z.//


SRI LANKA DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY
http://www.meteo.slt.lk/index.html

For December 07th.
The depression in the Bay of Bengal has intensified unto a cyclonic storm and was about 600km North-East of Trincomalee at 07/1000 hours. It is moving to the west-northwest direction, The fishing and naval community is further advised to refrain their activities in the deep sea beyond 300kms off the coast from the North-Eastern coast.

There will be showers at a few places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Scattered thundershowers will develop in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Western and North-western provinces during the afternoon and night.

North-Eastern deep seas will be rough.


INDIAN DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY
http://www.imd.gov.in/

o. BOB/12/2005/10 Dated : 07th December, 2005

Subject : Cyclone over southeast Bay of Bengal

The Cyclonic Storm 'Fanoos' over southeast Bay of Bengal moved slightly westwards and lay centered at 1130 IST of 7th December, 2005 near Lat. 11.00 N and Long. 87.00 E about 750 km east-southeast of Chennai. The system is likely to intensify further and move in a westerly direction towards Tamilnadu Coast during next 48 hours.

Under its influence fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls are likely to commence along Tamilnadu-south Andhra Pradesh coast from 8th evening onwards. Strong winds with speed reaching 50-60 kmph also likely to commence from 8th evening along and off the above coast.

State of sea will become rough to very rough from that time onwards. Fishermen along the above coast are advised not to venture into the sea.

WARNINGS

HEAVY RAINFALL WARNING
1. ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN COMMENCE OVER COASTAL TAMIL NADU AND SOUTH COASTAL ANDHRA PRADESH FROM 8TH EVENING. 2. STRONG WINDS WITH SPEED REACHING 50-60 KMPH AND ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEA CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY ALONG & OFF ABOVE COASTS AROUND THE SAME TIME. FISHERMEN ARE ADVISED NOT TO VENTURE INTO THE SEA OVER THESE AREAS.


APCEDI will continue to monitor this cyclone as it moves toward India and Sri Lanka.

While APCEDI does not normally monitor cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, given AFAP's tsunami relief effort and that of many agencies in the region, APCEDI will continue to bring reports from this region, as warranted, for the next year or longer if needed.

Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator
http://www.afap.org/apcedi/

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