The Cyclone Fengal over the bay moved closer to the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts and is expected to make a landfall this evening, even as heavy rains battered Chennai, suburbs and delta districts cirppling normal life.
In an update with Red Alert message, Met office on Saturday said the Cyclonic StormFengal (pronounced as FEINJAL) over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 13 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred at 0830 hours of today, over the same region.
It lay centred about 120 km east-northeast of Puducherry, 110 km southeast of Chennai, 200 km north-northeast of Nagappattinam and 420 km north of Trincomalee.It is likely to move nearly westwards and cross North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph this evening.
Meanwhile, rains battered Chennai city, suburbs and the Cauvery delta districts, affecting normal life.Water logging was reported in several areas of Chennai city and the civic authorites
were in full swing in pump out stagnated water.
Reports said several suburban areas of Chennai were inundated forcing the people to remain indoors.Airport sources said some flights were cancelled, several others were diverted and the airport was shut from this noon due to adverse weather conditions and waterlogging in runways.Southern Railway also announced that suburban EMU trains were being operated at reduced frequency.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, who visited the modern control centre and reviewed the cyclone scenario and interacted with the district collectors via video-conferencing on the present situation and the arrangements put in place, said all efforts were put in place and relief and rehabilitation measures will be taken up on a war footing.(UNI) <>