Cyclone Fengal LIVE: Landfall in hours, Chennai airport closed as storm moves towards Tamil Nadu-Poducherry coasts

Cyclone Fengal LIVE: Cyclone Fengal is expected to make landfall in coastal Tamil Nadu today evening and the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for various parts of the southern states due to incessant rains.

The IMD said cyclonic storm Fengal, located in the southwest Bay of Bengal, moved north-northwestward at a speed of 7 kmph during the last six hours. At 11:30 p.m. IST on November 29, it was centered over the same region near latitude 11.8°N and longitude 81.7°E, about 360 km north of Trincomalee, 230 km east east-northeast of Nagapattinam, 210 km east of Pondicherry, and 210 km southeast of Chennai.

The cyclone is expected to continue moving west-northwestward and cross the northern coasts of Tamil Nadu-Poducherry between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, near Puducherry, as a cyclonic storm with winds of 70 to 80 km /h, with gusts to 90 km/h, during the afternoon of November 30.

According to IMD cyclone division chief Ananda Das, a red alert has been issued due to heavy to extremely heavy rain in several parts of Tamil Nadu, south Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and interior of Karnataka.

He further said that the coastal districts of North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra Pradesh would receive heavy rains, adding that on November 30, there would be heavy rains in the interior area of ​​Tamil Nadu.