The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rain over north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Rayalaseema today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday).
The warning comes in the wake of a reinvigorating deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal off the South Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka coast, which is expected to soon ramp up as cyclone Fengal.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy over south Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam on Friday and Saturday days with isolated extremely heavy rainfall on Saturday.
The deep depression is likely to move northwestwards and intensify as a cyclone and cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry with wind speeds of 70-80 km/hr gusting to 90 km/hr on Saturday afternoon.
The deep depression was located some 374 km to the southeast of Chennai at noon, V Karthik, a Chennai-based avid weather watcher and photographer told businessline, citing satellite pictures.
Cloud bands over Chennai were not strong or saturated yesterday, and would empty mostly over the waters. “Out of a dozen bands, not one made to the shore. All that has changed after intensification today. We are having stable clouds now,” he added.