Cyclone Vardah may cross North Tamil Nadu today, NDRF on standby

The very Severe cyclonic storm, Vardah, is likely to cross north Tamil Nadu/south Andhra Pradesh coast on Monday afternoon, Meteorological Department Director S Balachandran said.

According to the weather forecast, Vardah will cross the coast as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph by Monday afternoon.

“We have sufficient standby reserves at Arakkonam. We are closely in touch with State Government authorities, and with other agencies like IMD,” said RK Pachnanda DG National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

A high alert has been issued in both the states and navy and disaster management teams have made the necessary arrangements. Schools and colleges will also remain shut in Chennai.

"There will be heavy rains during day time... Wind speed will also be very high," said NDRF Inspector Pawan Kumar.

The weather office said Vardah is now over westcentral and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 370 km east of Chennai.

As a result, heavy rainfall is predicted over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

“During the next 36 hours, rainfall would occur at many places over north coastal Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Chennai, Tiruvallur,” Balachandran told ANI.

The rainfall intensity is likely to increase gradually becoming heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-19 cm) at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall (around 20cm) over Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Nellore and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh on Monday.

Several parts of Odisha are also likely to receive rain or thundershowers on Monday under the impact of very severe cyclonic storm Vardah.

It has asked the fishermen not to venture into the sea as the condition of sea would be rough.

The India Meteorological Department has hoisted Distant Warning Signal Number Two (DW-II) at Paradeep and Gopalpur ports.

The very severe cyclonic storm is centered over west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 685 km south of Gopalpur, a weather bulletin said.

"The system is very likely to move nearly west-southwestwards and weaken gradually from today evening onwards while moving towards north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast," it added.

"Strong and gusty surface wind from northeasterly direction with speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph and gusting to 65 kmph would prevail along and off south Odisha coast and from northeasterly direction with speed reaching 30 to 35 kmph gusting to 45 kmph along and off north Odisha coast in next 48 hours".

It said the sea condition would be rough to very rough along and off south Odisha coast and moderate to rough along and off north Odisha coast.