Cyclone Mandous — Tamil Nadu, December 2022

Name: Mandous (pronounced man-doos; meaning 'treasure box' in Arabic). Named by: United Arab Emirates (UAE) — as part of the WMO/ESCAP rotating list for naming cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. Basin: North Indian Ocean — Bay of Bengal. Classification at landfall: Severe Cyclonic Storm. Wind speed at landfall: approximately 65–75 km/h sustained winds with gusts up to 90 km/h. Landfall location: Near Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu coast. Date and time of landfall: Night of 9 December 2022 (approximately 11:30 PM IST).

Track of Cyclone Mandous: • Formed as a depression in the Bay of Bengal in early December 2022. • Intensified into a Cyclonic Storm and then a Severe Cyclonic Storm as it moved towards the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast. • Made landfall near Mahabalipuram (between Chennai and Puducherry). • After landfall, it weakened rapidly into a depression and then dissipated inland.

Tamil Nadu: • Heavy to very heavy rainfall across coastal and interior districts of Tamil Nadu before, during, and after landfall. • Chennai and surrounding districts (Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Chengalpattu) received extremely heavy rainfall — causing urban flooding in parts of Chennai. • Trees uprooted, electricity poles damaged; power supply disrupted in several districts. • Coastal communities evacuated before landfall; fishermen were warned not to venture into the sea. • The Mahabalipuram area (landfall zone) and the Puducherry coast were most directly affected.

Andhra Pradesh: • Heavy rainfall also occurred in Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. • Rivers flooded in some areas; low-lying areas inundated.

Puducherry: • Being close to the landfall zone, Puducherry also experienced heavy rain and moderate-to-strong winds.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were pre-positioned in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to assist in rescue and relief operations. Schools and colleges in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu were closed on 9–10 December 2022.

The name 'Mandous' was contributed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organization / Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) Panel on Tropical Cyclones.

How the cyclone naming system works for the North Indian Ocean: • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the North Indian Ocean. • A panel of 13 member countries contributes names for tropical cyclones: Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, and Yemen. • Each country provides a list of names; these are used sequentially when a system intensifies into a named cyclone. • 'Mandous' means 'treasure box' in Arabic and was contributed by the UAE.

Cyclone names in the North Indian Ocean are not reused (unlike in the Atlantic, where names are recycled). After being used, a name is retired.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea tropical cyclones on a scale based on wind speeds:

1. Depression: Wind speed 31–61 km/h.
2. Deep Depression: Wind speed 52–61 km/h.
3. Cyclonic Storm: Wind speed 62–88 km/h.
4. Severe Cyclonic Storm: Wind speed 89–117 km/h.
5. Very Severe Cyclonic Storm: Wind speed 118–167 km/h.
6. Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm: Wind speed 168–221 km/h.
7. Super Cyclonic Storm: Wind speed above 222 km/h.

Note: Cyclone Mandous was classified as a Severe Cyclonic Storm at landfall, with sustained winds of 65–75 km/h — this corresponds to the Cyclonic Storm to lower end of Severe Cyclonic Storm range at the time of landfall, as the system had weakened somewhat from its peak intensity.

The Bay of Bengal is one of the most cyclone-prone regions in the world. Cyclones typically hit the Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh coast during October–December (post-monsoon northeast monsoon season).