Cyclone Mandous update: Chennai receives continuous moderate rain as landfall likely tonight

Tamil Nadu capital Chennai on Friday received continuous moderate rain as Cyclone Mandous is set to make landfall on late Friday or early Saturday. 

S Balachandran, deputy director general of Meteorology, Regional Metrology Centre, said heavy rainfall will occur in Chennai for two days as cyclone Mandous is further expected to move north-west and cross Puducherry and Sriharikota by Friday night or early Saturday morning. 

Cyclone Mandous is set to make its landfall in the coast between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) during midnight of December 9 to the early hours of December 10. The Chennai International Airport has already cancelled all flights on Friday on account of the cyclone and asked passengers to contact concerned airlines for further updates. An orange alert has been issued for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts. NDRF teams have been put on alert. 

"It is very likely to maintain its intensity of Severe Cyclonic Storm till early morning of today, the 9th December and then weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm thereafter. It would continue to move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamilnadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mahabalipuram as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph during midnight of today, the 09th December to early hours of 10th December," read an official statement by India Meteorological Department. The officials also informed that under the cyclone's influence most places over the north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are likely to have heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.

Cyclone will continue to move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamilnadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts b/w Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mahabalipuram as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph during midnight, informed officials. "It is likely to reduce to Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over north Tamil Nadu on 10th December 2022," added the statement.

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