Cyclone Nivar/ A.k.a a Cyclone in the time of Covid

Here we are in cyclone season again. Cyclone Nivar coming up, right now 410 km off the coast of Chennai. As if Covid wasn't bad enough! This one is likely to hit coastal Pondicherry rather than Chennai, although all bets are off when it comes to cyclone predictions. Here is the satellite picture right now.

By now we know how to manage during cyclones. Tamil Nadu is on red alert, although there is some possibility that it may hit Andhra instead. However, no neighbouring region will escape the heavy rainfall, consequent waterlogging, and the concomitant spreading of disease. While these happen every cyclone season, the coronavirus, and its unpredictable consequences, for a phenomenon which is in the first place unpredictable, is anybody's guess. Optimists among us hope that we will escape the worst case scenarios. Wish us luck. Post script: Our luck did hold, and we escaped the worst. We can now regard this with scientific detachment and carry out a network analysis of surface temperatures.Watch this space! This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.