Cyclone Fengal To Weaken In 3 Hours As It Stays Stationary Near Puducherry: IMD

Cyclone Fengal, which has been hovering in the area since it made landfall near Puducherry on November 30, is expected to weaken gradually in the next three hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Meanwhile, Chennai airport resumed operations past midnight after temporarily suspending flights earlier in the day. Despite the resumption, numerous flights, both domestic and international, faced cancellations and delays.

S. Balachandran, Additional Director General, IMD-Regional Meteorological Centre, mentioned in the update released on Sunday morning that Cyclone Fengal made landfall at around 5:30 PM in the evening on November 30 near Puducherry. By 10:30 to 11:30 PM, it completed the process. The cyclone would remain nearly stationary over the area close to Puducherry, but move slowly westwards into the next few hours, and is expected to deepen into a deep depression, weakening into the north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry region.

Rains In Puducherry

The cyclone caused the worst rain in Puducherry, with the region getting its highest ever rainfall at 46 cm during the period. Balachandran said that Mailam in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, too, had a maximum of 50 cm rain between 8:30 AM on November 30 and 5:30 AM on Sunday. The record Puducherry rainfall was over the previous high of 21 cm on October 31, 2004.

Airports Resume Operations

Cyclone Fengal also affected Chennai International Airport, where its operations were halted earlier on Sunday. Still, by past midnight, the airport resumed operations. However, many flights remained affected, with 24 domestic flights canceled and 26 international flights delayed. Many passengers faced significant disruption since the region was still in the process of recovery from the effects of the cyclone.

As Cyclone Fengal weakens and moves away from the coastal regions, the IMD continues to monitor the situation, providing updates on rainfall and any further potential impact. Authorities are focusing on recovery efforts as the storm’s intensity diminishes.

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