Cyclone Mandous to cross coast tonight; heavy rains expected in Chennai, north TN

Cyclone Mandous will make landfall near Mahabalipuram with a wind speed of 65-75 kmph

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are witnessing very heavy rainfall as Cyclone Mandous is all set to cross the coast this midnight. The Mandous storm, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), will intensify and bring very heavy rains for the next six hours.

The severe cyclonic storm Mandous, over the Southwest Bay of Bengal during the past six hours, has moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph, as per the latest bulletin released by IMD. The cyclone now lays over the southwest Bay of Bengal about 270 km East-Southeast of Karaikal and about 350 km South-Southeast of Chennai.

“Cyclone Mandous will cross between Puducherry and Sriharikota, near Mahabalipuram with a wind speed of 65-75 kmph between Friday midnight and early Saturday. It is projected to weaken by this evening," said S Balachandran, director for Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Regional Meteorological Centre.

The weather department also warned of very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Karaikal and Andhra Pradesh.

Following the heavy rains, a rain holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in more than eight districts and Puducherry.

People in the low-lying areas have been moved to safer places. At Kovalam, near Mahabalipuram, the fishermen in the coastal region have been asked not to venture into the sea for fishing. "It has been four days since we went into the sea," tells Ramaiah, one of the fishermen at Kovalam.