Cyclone Nada weakens into depression, crosses coast in TN

Cyclonic storm Nada weakened into a depression and crossed the coast near Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu today and further diminished as a well marked low pressure area that lies over interior Tamil Nadu today.

The low pressure area could influence rains at many places.

The depression that lay over southwest Bay of Bengal moved westwards with a speed of about 10 kmph and crossed north Tamil Nadu coast near Nagapattinam, about 20 km south of Karaikal early this morning between 4 AM to 5 AM, the MeT department said.

The depression further weakened into a well marked low pressure area and lies over interior Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhood, the department said.

A MeT official said the well marked low pressure area would further weaken into a low pressure area and gradually dissipate.

In view of the well marked low pressure area, the department in a bulletin said, "light to moderate rainfall at many places with isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over interior Tamil Nadu during next the 24 hours and over Kerala during next 48 hours." Senior State officials said they continue to monitor the situation since rains were expected. Top State official Gagandeep Singh Bedi told reporters in Cuddalore that NDRF and SDRF teams would stay put in their assigned areas till "complete normalcy," returns.

Earlier today, (before the cyclone related data including the satellite pictures were fully studied), the department had said that while a large chunk of the depression crossed coast early morning, 25 percent of the system would make the land fall shortly.

Cyclone Nada which weakened into a deep depression yesterday moved Westnorth-West wards and became a depression about 40 km East south East of Karaikkal (Puducherry Union Territory).

In the past 24 hours, Mamallapuram (Kancheepuram District) recorded 11 cm, the highest level of rain followed by Cholavaram and Red Hills (6 cm each) in Chennai's suburbs, and Tirukattupalli (Thanjavur), Chennai district, Dindigul and Maduranthakam (Kancheepuram) received 4 cm each.

Similarly, rainfall was recorded across Tamil Nadu including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Dharmapuri, and Vellore districts.