the system to the equivalent of a hurricane on December 4, estimating peak 1-minute winds of . Increased wind shear decoupled the convection from the center; the thunderstorms continued to the west-northwest and struck Andhra Pradesh, while the circulation turned southwestward. Weakening further, the system made landfall on Tamil Nadu between Chennai and Pondicherry around 16:00 UTC on December 6. It rapidly weakened over land, dissipating the next day. Ahead of the storm, about 200,000 people evacuated the Indian coastline and Very Heavy downpour stuck Tirupati and Chennai, following the damaging cyclone that struck Andhra Pradesh a month earlier. Officials used buses and trucks to transport residents in nearly 500 villages. Officials warned fishermen not to go out to sea during the storm. To prevent accidents, workers closed roads and shut off power ahead of the storm. Two people died in Andhra Pradesh while the storm was still offshore, one due to a house collapsing and the other due to a fallen tree. Heavy rainfall related to the cyclone killed two people before the system moved ashore. The storm dropped heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Winds in Chennai reached , strong enough to knock down trees and cause accidents; one motorist was killed by a tree near Chennai Airport. Overall, the storm resulted in seven fatalities. See also 1996 Atlantic hurricane season 1996 Pacific hurricane season 1996 Pacific typhoon season South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1995–96, 1996–97 Australian region cyclone seasons: 1995–96, 1996–97 South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1995–96, 1996–97 Notes References