Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Phailin (Thai: ไพลิน meaning "sapphire") was a tropical cyclone that affected Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and the Indian states of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The system was first noted as a tropical depression on October 4, 2013 within the Gulf of Thailand, to the west of Pnom Penh in Cambodia.
Over the next few days, it moved westwards within an area of low to
moderate vertical wind shear, before as it passed over the Malay
Peninsula, it moved out of the Western Pacific Basin on October 6. It
emerged into the Andaman Sea
during the next day and moved west-northwest into an improving
environment for further development before the system was named Phailin
on October 9, after it had developed into a cyclonic storm and passed
over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into the Bay of Bengal.
During the next day Phailin intensified rapidly and became a very
severe cyclonic storm on October 10, while it was equivalent to a
category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS).
On October 11, the system became equivalent to a category 5 hurricane
on the SSHWS before it started to weaken during the next day as it
approached the Indian state of Odisha. It made landfall later that day, near Gopalpur
in Odisha coast at around 2130 IST (1600 UTC). It subsequently weakened
over land as a result of frictional forces, before it was last noted on
October 14, as it degenerated into a well marked area of low pressure.
Officials from Odisha's state government said that around 12 million
people may be affected. As part of the preparations, 600 buildings were
identified as cyclone shelters and people were evacuated from areas near
the coast, including Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Jagatsinghapur districts
in Odisha.
The cyclone has prompted India's biggest evacuation in 23 years with
more than 550,000 people moved up from the coastline in Odisha and
Andhra Pradesh to safer places.
For more pictures and details of this Violent Cyclone click HERE
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