The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has on Friday morning re-mounted a cyclone formation alert (named Fengal) after the parent deep depression flipped earlier forecasts and assumed better organisational attributes while retaining intensity and strength off Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu coasts.
The deep depression over south-west Bay moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 8 km/hr during past six hours and lay centred at 8.30 am about 270 km north-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka; 300 km east of Nagapattinam; 340 km east-southeast of Puducherry; and 380 km south-east of Chennai.
It is likely to move northwestwards and intensify into cyclone Fengal during the next six hours. It is expected to 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 tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.