Cyclone Fengal: As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm (called Fengal) by Wednesday evening/night leading to heavy to very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu. The weather agency in its latest bulletin said that the deep depression is very likely to move north-northwestwards towards the Tamil Nadu coast skirting the Sri Lanka coast during the subsequent 2 days. Wind speeds are expected to reach 80-100 mph, with gusts up to 120 kmph in some areas.
The Deep Depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal currently lies 530 km south-southeast of Chennai. In a post on X, IMD wrote:
“The Deep Depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 1130 hours IST of today, the 27th November 2024 over the same region near latitude 8.7°N and longitude 82.2°E, about 110 km east of Trincomalee, 350 km southeast of Nagappattinam, 450 km southeast of Puducherry and 530 km south-southeast of Chennai."
The Deep Depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 1130 hours IST of today, the 27th November 2024 over the same region near latitude 8.7°N and longitude 82.2°E, about 110 km east of…
November 27, 2024Red, Orange Alert Issued for Tamil Nadu
The IMD issued a red alert for several districts in Tamil Nadu on November 27. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with isolated extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry on November 27. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also very likely over Coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry and Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam from November 28 to 30. Heavy rainfall at isolated places is also likely over coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry on December 1 and 2.
On November 27, a red alert was issued for the districts of Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Karaikal.
IMD issued an Orange alert for Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Ariyalur, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai.
Coastal parts of Tamil Nadu have already received heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.
The amount of rainfall recorded are: Cuddalore-97mm, Karaikal-96mm, Atiramapattinam -81mm and Parangipettai-68mm. Meenambakkam and Nungambakkam also recorded moderate rainfall of 60mm and 55mm, respectively.
Heavy Rainfall in Chennai
A yellow alert has been issued for Chennai and a few other districts on Nov. 27 with the possibility of heavy rainfall in isolated places.
A day earlier, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed in many areas including the arterial OMR Road and traffic flow was affected in several areas as roads came under sheets of water. Also, in Chennai, there was delay in the landing of seven flights.
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin following his inspection of city areas here, advised officials to continue the maintenance work so that inundation could be prevented. Work to desilt canals is continuing as part of the maintenance.
Cyclone Fengal Live Tracker: Check Route, Map of Cyclonic Storm
The above map (from windy.com) shows the live location of Cyclone Fengal and the tracking for the next 3-4 days.
If the above map is not visible then click on this link to check the route and path of Cyclone Fengal.
Schools Closed in these Districts
The authorities in several districts, including Trichy, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Villupuram, and Thiruvallur districts have issued orders to close schools and colleges on Wednesday due to heavy rainfall warnings.
Schools were also closed in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpet, Ariyalur, Sivagangai and Pudukottai. Both schools and colleges are closed in Villupuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram and Trichy.
Air Travel Advisory
The cyclone is likely to impact air, rail, and road travel. Passengers are advised to check for updates before planning their journeys.
Chennai International Airport has advised travellers to stay informed about flight schedules, as delays and cancellations are expected.
#UPDATE | Passengers be informed that flights to and from the following destinations have been cancelled.
November 27, 2024
As of now, airport operations remain unaffected. We recommend passengers check with their respective airlines for further updates.#ChennaiAirport #CycloneFengal… pic.twitter.com/3lGl4rNLHWWill Cyclone Fengal hit Tamil Nadu Coast?
The storm will continue to move northward with a speed of around 10 kmph. Cyclone Fengal will come very close to the Tamil Nadu coast and will be within a touching distance between Puducherry-Tambaram-Chennai on the night of November 29. As per IMD, the landfall time and place of the storm cannot be precisely predicted at this point in time. It will need observation for another 24 hours.
However, there Is good consensus among various models with respect to the movement, intensity and landfall of the cyclinic storm. Most of the models indicate intensification into a marginal cyclonic storm and gradually weakening thereafter.
Cyclone Fengal batters Sri Lanka Coasts
The deep depression brought heavy rainfall over many parts of coastal Sri Lanka. Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaittivu and Batticaloa received extremely heavy rainfall, amounting to 150-200mm. The capital city Colombo also recorded over 100mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours.
-- with inputs from PTI
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