Thousands evacuate as Burevi moves across Sri Lanka, southern India
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 4, 2020 4:11 PM EDT
Nivar left a trail of destruction in Chennai, India, where it made landfall on Nov. 25 with intense winds and torrential rain.
A week after deadly Cyclone Nivar wreaked havoc on southern India, Cyclonic Storm Burevi is wreaking havoc in Sri Lanka and taking aim at southern India.
On Monday morning, local time, an area of low pressure in the southern Bay of Bengal developed into a tropical depression, according to India's Meteorological Department. By Tuesday afternoon, local time, the system had further strengthened to a deep depression, and it had become Cyclonic Storm Burevi by early Wednesday.
The system lost some wind intensity by Friday morning, once again becoming a deep depression. The cyclone was the equivalent strength to that of a tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific hurricane basins.
Cyclonic Storm Burevi on Thursday afternoon, local time, churning across Sri Lanka and southern India. CIRA/RAMMB
As of Friday night, Burevi is equivalent to a tropical depression as it continues to lose wind intenisty as it spin over the Palk Strait and the Gulf on Mannar, the bodies of water between India and Sri Lanka.
As the strengthening cyclone moved into northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday night, local time, media reported that about 75,000 people were evacuated from areas at risk for the greatest impacts.
On Thursday afternoon, one person was reported missing and several others have been injured in Sri Lanka.
Burevi is expected to make landfall in southern India on Friday.
As Burevi tracks across northern Sri Lanka and southern India, AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate widespread and heavy rainfall to pose the most significant threat to lives and property.
"Heavy rain and flooding are likely over southern Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
While the heaviest rain began winding down by Friday across northern Sri Lanka, downpours can linger across Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu into Saturday as the storm slowly moves into the Arabian Sea.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Areas from southern Tamil Nadu into central Sri Lanka can receive 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) of rain through the weekend. Right along the track of the storm, 300-450 mm (12-18 inches) of rain may fall, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 500 mm (20 inches) possible.
As of Friday afternoon, rain totals had already reached 273 mm (10.75 inches) in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, since the steadiest rain began late on Tuesday.
This rain can lead to widespread flooding and potentially mudslides that can close roads and cut off some communities.
Even though rainfall is not expected to be as heavy across eastern and northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh, recent heavy rain from Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nivar, combined with the expected rain from Burevi could more easily lead to flooding.
A family wades through a flooded street in Chennai, India, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu is bracing for Cyclone Nivar that is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. The state authorities have issued an alert and asked people living in low-lying and flood-prone areas to move to safer places. (AP Photo/R. Parthibhan)
Nivar brought flooding rainfall and damaging winds to portions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as it made landfall with the strength equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Nivar caused three deaths in Tamil Nadu, and as a result, Wednesday and Thursday were declared a public holiday across the state, shutting down everything except for emergency services.
Locally damaging wind gusts can also occur in coastal areas near where Burevi tracks. This will be the most likely across northern Sri Lanka and southern Tamil Nadu. These areas can get wind gusts of 60-100 km/h (40-60 mph), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph).
Largely due to heavy rain and the threat for widespread flooding, Burevi is rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones.
The AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is a 6-point scale with ratings of less than 1 and 1 to 5. In contrast to the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones is based on a broad range of important factors. In order to better communicate a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods, the scale covers not only wind speed, but also flooding rain, storm surge and economic damage and loss.
In the wake of Burevi, additional downpours from showers and thunderstorms are expected across Sri Lanka and southern India early next week. While this is not expected to bring the threat of additional widespread flooding, it can slow recovery efforts and slow the receding of any flood waters.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to track Burevi as it tracks westward across the Arabian Sea into next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Thousands evacuate as Burevi moves across Sri Lanka, southern India
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 4, 2020 4:11 PM EDT
Nivar left a trail of destruction in Chennai, India, where it made landfall on Nov. 25 with intense winds and torrential rain.
A week after deadly Cyclone Nivar wreaked havoc on southern India, Cyclonic Storm Burevi is wreaking havoc in Sri Lanka and taking aim at southern India.
On Monday morning, local time, an area of low pressure in the southern Bay of Bengal developed into a tropical depression, according to India's Meteorological Department. By Tuesday afternoon, local time, the system had further strengthened to a deep depression, and it had become Cyclonic Storm Burevi by early Wednesday.
The system lost some wind intensity by Friday morning, once again becoming a deep depression. The cyclone was the equivalent strength to that of a tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific hurricane basins.
Cyclonic Storm Burevi on Thursday afternoon, local time, churning across Sri Lanka and southern India. CIRA/RAMMB
As of Friday night, Burevi is equivalent to a tropical depression as it continues to lose wind intenisty as it spin over the Palk Strait and the Gulf on Mannar, the bodies of water between India and Sri Lanka.
As the strengthening cyclone moved into northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday night, local time, media reported that about 75,000 people were evacuated from areas at risk for the greatest impacts.
On Thursday afternoon, one person was reported missing and several others have been injured in Sri Lanka.
Burevi is expected to make landfall in southern India on Friday.
As Burevi tracks across northern Sri Lanka and southern India, AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate widespread and heavy rainfall to pose the most significant threat to lives and property.
"Heavy rain and flooding are likely over southern Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
While the heaviest rain began winding down by Friday across northern Sri Lanka, downpours can linger across Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu into Saturday as the storm slowly moves into the Arabian Sea.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Areas from southern Tamil Nadu into central Sri Lanka can receive 200-300 mm (8-12 inches) of rain through the weekend. Right along the track of the storm, 300-450 mm (12-18 inches) of rain may fall, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 500 mm (20 inches) possible.
As of Friday afternoon, rain totals had already reached 273 mm (10.75 inches) in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, since the steadiest rain began late on Tuesday.
This rain can lead to widespread flooding and potentially mudslides that can close roads and cut off some communities.
Even though rainfall is not expected to be as heavy across eastern and northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh, recent heavy rain from Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nivar, combined with the expected rain from Burevi could more easily lead to flooding.
A family wades through a flooded street in Chennai, India, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu is bracing for Cyclone Nivar that is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. The state authorities have issued an alert and asked people living in low-lying and flood-prone areas to move to safer places. (AP Photo/R. Parthibhan)
Nivar brought flooding rainfall and damaging winds to portions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as it made landfall with the strength equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Nivar caused three deaths in Tamil Nadu, and as a result, Wednesday and Thursday were declared a public holiday across the state, shutting down everything except for emergency services.
Locally damaging wind gusts can also occur in coastal areas near where Burevi tracks. This will be the most likely across northern Sri Lanka and southern Tamil Nadu. These areas can get wind gusts of 60-100 km/h (40-60 mph), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph).
Largely due to heavy rain and the threat for widespread flooding, Burevi is rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones.
The AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is a 6-point scale with ratings of less than 1 and 1 to 5. In contrast to the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones is based on a broad range of important factors. In order to better communicate a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods, the scale covers not only wind speed, but also flooding rain, storm surge and economic damage and loss.
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In the wake of Burevi, additional downpours from showers and thunderstorms are expected across Sri Lanka and southern India early next week. While this is not expected to bring the threat of additional widespread flooding, it can slow recovery efforts and slow the receding of any flood waters.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to track Burevi as it tracks westward across the Arabian Sea into next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo