First tropical cyclone in the northern hemisphere, Maarutha, hits Myanmar (video and pictures)

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Tropical cyclone Maarutha made landfall in Myanmar on Monday night, April 17, 2017.

The year’s first cyclone of the northern hemisphere formed in the Bay of Bengal on April 14, 2017, and dissipated over the west of Myanmar on April 17, 2017.

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Path of the cyclone Maarutha that made landfall in Myanmar on April 17, 2017. via Facebook

Cyclone Maarutha made landfall on Myanmar’s Rakhine coast on Monday night.

cyclone maarutha, cyclone maarutha map, cyclone maarutha pictures, cyclone maarutha videos
via Al Jazeera

It was first classified as a tropical depression on April 14 in the Bay of Bengal, but was never expected to be a major cyclone.

cyclone maarutha, cyclone maarutha map, cyclone maarutha pictures, cyclone maarutha videos
via Facebook

Winds were expected to gust to 100 kilometres per hour and some wind damage was reported in Yangon, but the real risk was always to be from rain.

cyclone maarutha, cyclone maarutha map, cyclone maarutha pictures, cyclone maarutha videos
via Facebook

The cyclone swept the town of Thandwe with steady winds of over 60 km/h and heavy rain, but weakened steadily as it interacted with the rugged terrain of the region. The path taken by the rapidly dissipating cyclone crossed the Irrawaddy river and Naypyitaw.

cyclone maarutha, cyclone maarutha map, cyclone maarutha pictures, cyclone maarutha videos
via Facebook

The coast is rugged and no significant storm surge was forecast. Waves were whipped up by the cyclone but it travelled fairly quickly so they too were not especially big.

cyclone maarutha, cyclone maarutha map, cyclone maarutha pictures, cyclone maarutha videos
via Facebook

Rainfall totals were typically between 100 and 150mm. Pyay, for example, recorded 146mm in 12 hours. Most rainfall reporting stations are in towns along the Irrawaddy. However, the hills between the major river and the coast are more vulnerable to landslides during this sort of rain.

Maarutha is the first named tropical cyclone in the northern hemisphere this season. The cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal is typically in two parts: the first precedes the advance of the southwest monsoon and the second, usually more violent, follows the retreat.

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