Cyclone Fengal: Yellow alert in 15 districts of Tamil Nadu
Chennai: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has issued a yellow alert for 15 districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, predicting heavy rain of up to 11 cm in interior and Western Ghat districts, including the Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, and Madurai.
Cyclone Fengal, moving slowly westward, has brought heavy rain to many parts of Tamil Nadu. Uthangarai in Krishnagiri district recorded 50 cm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Monday.
Over the weekend, heavy rainfall battered several areas, including Kedar (42 cm), Soorapattu (38 cm), Mundiyampakkam (32 cm), Villupuram town (35 cm), and Koliyanur (32 cm) in Villupuram district; Harur (33 cm) in Dharmapuri district; and Thirupalapandal (32 cm) and Madampoondi (31 cm) in Kallakurichi district.
The RMC stated that the weather system, now a well-marked low-pressure area over north-interior Tamil Nadu, was expected to weaken further and move into the Arabian Sea on Tuesday (December 3, 2024).
S. Balachandran, Additional Director General of Meteorology, Chennai, explained that Cyclone Fengal was a complex weather system with various interactions during its different stages of intensity over the ocean. He noted that the system’s slow movement and gradual weakening had brought record rainfall to districts along its path. The cyclone remained stationary for an unusually long time compared to other systems.
He also mentioned that some weather stations recording heavy rainfall were recently added to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) network.
The RMC added that rainfall activity in Tamil Nadu is expected to be limited to isolated areas, starting Thursday.
Tamil Nadu has received nearly 43 cm of rainfall this season, compared to the average of 36 cm since October 1. The intense rainfall from Cyclone Fengal over the past two days has significantly reduced rain deficits across several districts.
Villupuram and Krishnagiri districts have seen surpluses of 74 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively, in seasonal rainfall as of Monday.