LEHAR Closing in on Indian Coast

LEHAR Intensifies to a Strong Cat. 1  Storm Force

Cyclone LEHAR was packing sustained winds of about 140km/h, gusting to 170km/h, as of 06:00UTC, November 27, 2013.

LEHAR was located about 910km ESE (114 degrees) of Hyderabad, India tracking WNW (295 degrees) at about 20km/h, as of as of 06:00UTC, November 27, 2013. [Estimate is based on FIRE-EARTH Models, with data supplied from various satellites.]

LEHAR – Water Vapor [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] Satellite image – recorded at 05:30UTC on November 27, 2013. Original Image Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

The maximum significant wave height generated by the storm is currently about 9 meters.

The storm could intensify marginally before making landfall. The storm surge, rainfall and winds associated with LEHAR could cause significant damage, especially in low lying areas.

LEHAR has been designated as a “very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS)” by India’s Meteorological Department (IMD), and is forecast to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Machillipatnam about 12:00pm on Thursday, November 28, 2013.

LEHAR’s Projected Path according to IDM.

Cyclones PHAILIN and HELEN

In October, Cyclone PHAILIN destroyed or damaged more than 500,000 mud houses, killing dozens of people and ruining 1.3 million hectares of crops.

Cyclone HELEN struck the Andhra Pradesh coast last Friday, forcing thousands of  evacuations, killing six people and  causing significant  damage to crops.

LEHAR would be considerably stronger than HELEN on landfall.

This post will be updated throughout the day …

 Related Links

• Cyclonic Storm LEHAR Strikes Andaman Islands November 25, 2013
• Tropical Cyclone HELEN Striking East India Coast November 21, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery