(MENAFN- Live Mint) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that Cyclone Fengal is nearing the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, owing to which several areas in the coastal regions are witnessing heavy rainfall and rising tides.
The cyclone is is expected to hit the coastal area on Saturday evening. In response, the IMD has issued warnings for the coasts of North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and southern Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD stated that the cyclonic storm Fengal, located over the southwest Bay of Bengal, moved north-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours. As of 11:30 PM IST on November 29, it was centered over the same region near latitude 11.8°N and longitude 81.7°E, about 360 km north of Trincomalee, 230 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam, 210 km east of Puducherry, and 210 km southeast of Chennai.
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The cyclone is likely to continue moving west-northwestward and cross the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, near Puducherry, as a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 70-80 km/h, gusting to 90 km/h, during the afternoon of November 30.
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Chennai and surrounding districts are witnessing severe rainfall owing to which daily life has been disrupted in the city.
The schools and colleges were closed on Thursday and if heavy rains continue, then authorities are likely to announce holiday today as well.
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Noting that coastal areas of Tamil Nadu would be most affected, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre of Chennai, Dr. S. Balachandran told ANI, "Mostly coastal districts, with the crossing point between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram near Puducherry, will experience more impact. There will be wind and rainfall. Today, wind speeds reached 50-60 km/h, gusting to 70 km/h. Between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, there will be extremely heavy rainfall, and at many places, there will be scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall."
Meanwhile, Srinuvas, the Director of the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre in Andhra Pradesh, said they had issued a warning for "extremely heavy rainfall " in the districts of Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor for the next 24 hours.
(With ANI inputs)
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