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Typhoon Gay (1989)
Encyclopedia
Typhoon Gay was a powerful tropical cyclone
which caused significant damage in Chumphon Province
of Thailand
and eastern India
in November 1989. It was the worst typhoon to affect the Malay peninsula
in 35 years. The storm formed on November 1 in the southern Gulf of Thailand
, crossed the Malay Peninsula, crossed into the Northern Indian Ocean, and strengthened into a category 5 before making landfall in India, dissipating over the Western Ghats
mountains of India
on November 10. The storm was not only unique in being the only tropical cyclone to hit Thailand with full typhoon wind speed (120 mph at landfall), but its origin in the Gulf, its small size, its high intensity, and the fact the storm was active in two different tropical cyclone basins also made it an unusual tropical storm.
Gay continued to intensify, reaching wind speeds of 100 knots (196 km/h) shortly before it made landfall on November 4 06:00 UTC. During the pass over the narrow Kra Isthmus
the storm lost slightly in intensity, which it quickly gained back in the Andaman Sea
.
Moving north-northwest across the Bay of Bengal at a speed of about 10 knots (19.6 km/h), it slowly intensified back to 100 knots (196 km/h), but then restrictions in the upper level outflow stopped it from gaining anymore speed until November 7. On November 8 06:00 UTC the winds reached 130 knots (254.8 km/h) and at 18:00 UTC it became a Category 5
cyclone. Gay made landfall over a low populated area of India about 220 kilometres (136.7 mi) north of Madras at it's peak intensity. There was initial concern that Gay might succeed in crossing India and reach the Arabian Sea, but the cyclone moved more northerly than expected. Due to its very small size, the cyclone deteriorated quickly, and it dissipated over the Western Ghats of India by November 10.
The Unocal oil drilling ship Seacrest, moored in the gulf, became the first victim of the storm, where 91 perished and six survived. Major damage was caused to the coral reef
s offshore Thailand. The eye of the typhoon passed nearby and its associated strong waves capsized the ship. During the landfall in Thailand, Gay claimed at least 458 lives, also more than 600 seamen were reported missing. Two hundred fishing vessels were lost. Because it made landfall in a rural area with a low population, it only claimed 39 lives in India but still destroyed or damaged 20,000 homes.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
which caused significant damage in Chumphon Province
Chumphon Province
Chumphon ) is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani and Ranong...
of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and eastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in November 1989. It was the worst typhoon to affect the Malay peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
in 35 years. The storm formed on November 1 in the southern Gulf of Thailand
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...
, crossed the Malay Peninsula, crossed into the Northern Indian Ocean, and strengthened into a category 5 before making landfall in India, dissipating over the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
mountains of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on November 10. The storm was not only unique in being the only tropical cyclone to hit Thailand with full typhoon wind speed (120 mph at landfall), but its origin in the Gulf, its small size, its high intensity, and the fact the storm was active in two different tropical cyclone basins also made it an unusual tropical storm.
Meteorological history
The beginnings of Gay were first tracked on November 1, when an area of disturbed weather showed on satellite images of the southern Gulf of Thailand. A concentrated convection area with an upper level anticyclone was found and ships reported a relatively high surface pressure of 1008 hPa. The disturbance of the monsoon trough continued to consolidate, and thus at 21:00 UTC a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued. Warm waters of the gulf combined with geographical circumstances in the gulf helped to spin up the cyclone. Satellite images showed the intensification, while the surface pressure at the Thai and Malay coast increased due to the subsidence of the air uplifted by the storm. On November 2 18:00 UTC the intensification increased, thus the storm reached typhoon wind speeds at around November 3 0:00 UTC.Kra Isthmus
The Kra Isthmus is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia, and popularly named "The Devil's Neck".-Geography:...
the storm lost slightly in intensity, which it quickly gained back in the Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
.
Moving north-northwest across the Bay of Bengal at a speed of about 10 knots (19.6 km/h), it slowly intensified back to 100 knots (196 km/h), but then restrictions in the upper level outflow stopped it from gaining anymore speed until November 7. On November 8 06:00 UTC the winds reached 130 knots (254.8 km/h) and at 18:00 UTC it became a Category 5
Category 5
Category 5 may refer to:*Category 5 , an album from rock band, FireHouse*Category 5 cable, used for carrying data*Category 5 computer virus, as classified by Symantec Corporation*Category 5 Records, a record label...
cyclone. Gay made landfall over a low populated area of India about 220 kilometres (136.7 mi) north of Madras at it's peak intensity. There was initial concern that Gay might succeed in crossing India and reach the Arabian Sea, but the cyclone moved more northerly than expected. Due to its very small size, the cyclone deteriorated quickly, and it dissipated over the Western Ghats of India by November 10.
Impact
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s offshore Thailand. The eye of the typhoon passed nearby and its associated strong waves capsized the ship. During the landfall in Thailand, Gay claimed at least 458 lives, also more than 600 seamen were reported missing. Two hundred fishing vessels were lost. Because it made landfall in a rural area with a low population, it only claimed 39 lives in India but still destroyed or damaged 20,000 homes.