A synoptic study of Rameswaram Cyclone of December 1964 and the storm wave caused by it

Abstract

The Rameswaram Cyclone of December 1964 was one of the severest storms that occurred in the Indian Seas and probably the most severe storm which affected Ceylon and the extreme south of the Indian peninsula. The storm was unique in many respects. The latitudes at which the initial disturbance was formed, at which it concentrated into a cyclonic storm and at which it further intensified into a severe storm -are probably the lowest on record. Winds estimated ill the core of the storm when It was over Ceylon are the highest ever experienced there. It caused unprecedented floods in Ceylon. It caused tidal waves over Mannar and Rameswaram islands which, according to the recorded history of cyclones, are rarely experienced in these areas.

The three-dimensional structure of the storm during its different phases and the upper air conditions which seem to have favoured its intensification has been discussed in the paper. The peculiarities of its surface structure, which seemed to have had a direct bearing on the rainfall distribution and the occurrence of storm waves have been also pointed out.