IMD warns of heavy rain in south India as Cyclone Fengal on the way

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest bulletin on Thursday warned that the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into Cyclone Fengal within the next 12 hours as it moves northwestward.
The cyclone is expected to cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram around 30 November morning as a depression with a wind speed of 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on 29-30 November, the weather bureau said, adding, south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema will likely receive precipitation on 29 November.
“The states located on the eastern coast of India are hotspots of compounding risks of hazards such as floods, cyclones, and droughts,” Vishwas Chitale, senior programme Lead, CEEW, told Mint.
“Tamil Nadu, which is vulnerable to all three of these extreme events, as per CEEW analysis, has witnessed a two-fold increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the past decade,” he added. Further, 11 out of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu are highly exposed to cyclones. CEEW also finds that the state has a high availability of cyclone multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS). These systems play a crucial role in informing the decision-makers and the communities ahead of time to evacuate and reduce the potential losses. As a novel initiative, the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Tamil Nadu state government have also developed CFLOWS-Chennai, a web GIS-based decision-making support system, integrating data and outputs derived from weather forecast models to build India’s first integrated coastal flood warning system, he said.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall has already started affecting the region. Schools and colleges in Puducherry were closed on Thursday as a precautionary measure due to the adverse weather, which is expected to worsen. Puducherry’s education minister Arumugam Namassivayam confirmed that authorities are on high alert.
The weather system wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka, claiming 12 lives, destroying around 100 homes and displacing some 335,155 residents, while skirting around the island country in the last 24 hours, according to its Disaster Management Centre.
Several parts of India recorded rainfall during the last 24 hours, IMD noted. Moderate rainfall occurred at a few places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, while isolated places in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala also reported precipitation.
Kerala, Mahe and South Interior Karnataka are also likely to witness heavy rainfall on 30 November and 1 December, IMD added.
The chief minister’s office of Puducherry also provided rainfall figures for the past 24 hours, noting that the region had received 7.5 cm of rain, while Karaikal recorded 9.5 cm. The state government has been reviewing its preparedness, with the chief minister instructing the Disaster Management, Public Works Department, and municipality officials to take urgent action. This includes relocating residents of low-lying areas to relief camps, with a 24X7 control room now operational to monitor the situation.
Seafaring vessels have been advised to stay away from these regions. IMD has urged residents to monitor weather updates and heed warnings.