Cyclone Fengal Still Near Pondicherry, To Weaken In Next Three Hours: IMD

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall near Puducherry on 30 November, is stationary near the union territory and is likely to gradually weaken in the next three hours, according to the India Meteorological Department.

"Cyclone Fengal started making landfall near Puducherry around 5.30 pm on Saturday and completed the process between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm. It now lay close to Puducherry," IMD's Additional Director General S Balachandran said in an update at 7:30 am on Sunday.

"It is likely to move westwards slowly and weaken gradually into a deep depression over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (Puducherry)."

Between 8:30 am on Saturday and 5:30 am on Sunday, Puducherry clocked its highest rainfall of 46 cm, while Mailam in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district recorded 50 cm rainfall, according to IMD.

Operations at the Chennai airport, which had been suspended on Sunday, resumed past midnight but many flights suffered cancellations and delays, officials said. 24 domestic and 26 international flights---both arriving and departing---were delayed, officials said.