Cyclone Fengal makes landfall: 4 electrocuted, airport reopens in Chennai
What's the story
Cyclone Fengal, which struck the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast on Saturday evening, has wreaked havoc in Chennai. The cyclone caused heavy rains and flooding in several parts of the city.
Four people were electrocuted in separate incidents due to the rain.
The Chennai airport was shut for 16 hours due to inundation of two runways and a taxiway after heavy rains. It reopened at 4:00am on Sunday, and flight operations remained affected as the situation slowly limped back to normalcy.
Disruptions and alerts
Cyclone Fengal's impact on transportation and weather alerts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Fengal is likely to continue inching toward west-southwestward, weakening into a deep depression within the next few hours.
The cyclone was monitored by Doppler weather radars in Chennai and Karaikal. Chennai received up to 13cm of rainfall, while Puducherry saw 39cm of rain.
The IMD had issued an orange alert for heavy rainfall in Chennai and surrounding districts, and a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, and Cuddalore districts.
Landfall and cancelations
Cyclone Fengal's landfall process and impact on flights
The cyclone's landfall process started at 5:30pm on November 30 and ended around 2:00am on December 1.
It crossed the coast near Puducherry with wind speeds of 70-80km/h, gusting to 90km/h.
As a precaution, Chennai Airport extended its suspension of operations till early Sunday morning. Over 50 flights were canceled due to the cyclone, affecting thousands of passengers in Chennai and nearby states.
Public transport and residential areas
Cyclone Fengal's impact on public transport and residential areas
Train services were also affected by the cyclone, with Southern Railway announcing schedule changes.
In Chennai, several residential areas were waterlogged due to heavy rains.
Public transport services were reduced over the weekend as schools, colleges, and most offices remained shut.
Tamil Nadu Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said there were no immediate reports of major damage from the cyclone.