M6.5 Quake Strikes Andaman Sea near Nicobar Islands

SEISMIC HAZARD
.

Strong Quake, Significant Aftershocks Occur E of Mohean, Nicobar Islands

Centered at 7.769°N, 94.325°, the quake struck at a depth of about 10km on Friday 21, 2014 at 13:41:07 UTC, according to the USGS/EHP.

At least 8 significant aftershocks followed, as of posting.

Explanation Map for Seismotectonics of the Sumatra Region (Partial). Source: USGS

Earthquake Details  – [USGS/EHP]

Magnitude: 6.5Mw
Event Time: 2014-03-21 13:41:07 UTC
Location: 7.769°N 94.325°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 113km (70mi) E of Mohean, India
• 234km (145mi) NNW of Sabang, Indonesia

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

Cyclonic Storm LEHAR Strikes Andaman Islands

LEHAR strikes Andaman Islands with winds of about 110kmph gusting to 140kmph

The cyclone is expected to dump more than 25cm of rain over Andaman and Nicobar Islands en route to Andhra Pradesh coast, east India.

LEHAR is forecast to strike Andhra Pradesh state, India’s east-central coastline on the Bay of Bengal, near 18.3N, 84.1E on November 28.

Cyclonic Storm LEHAR. VI/INFRARED [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] satellite image recorded at 00:30UTC on November 25, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Cyclonic Storm LEHAR. VI/INFRARED [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] satellite image recorded at 11:30UTC on November 25, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

 LEHAR V. PHAILIN

Super Cyclonic Storm PHAILIN. VIS/IR Satellite Image recorded at 01:30UTC on October 11, 2013. Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. FIRE-EARTH Enhancement.

LEHAR Projected Path Superimposed on SST Schematic in Bay of Bengal. Timed at 11:30UTC on November 25, 2013. CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

On Friday, November 22, Cyclone HELEN struck coastal  Andhra Prades, killing at least 6 people, destroying or damaging about 170,000 hectares of crops, and forcingthe authorities to evacuate 25,000 people.

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.

Point of No Return

In 2004¹,  our team forecast an 80-90 percent increase in the total power dissipated annually by tropical cyclones  in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by 2015.

Storms will continue to get stronger (develop greater average intensities) and survive at high intensity for longer (take more time to dissipate peak energy) resulting in substantial increases in storm-related losses in the near future.

[1. First draft posted by MSRB on Internet on February 26, 2005]

This post will be updated throughout the day …