Cyclone Fengal Highlights: Puducherry declares holiday for schools, colleges amid heavy rain

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday visited Villupuram district to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Fengal. He distributed relief materials to affected residents. The cyclone, which made landfall on Tamil Nadu and Puducherry's coasts on Saturday, triggered widespread flooding across the state.

As the storm progresses westward, heavy rainfall is anticipated in parts of Andhra Pradesh, including coastal and Rayalaseema regions.

Chief minister M K Stalin will visit the cyclone-hit areas in Villupuram district on Monday. The Villupuram district received an average rainfall of 49.29cm of rain in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30am on Sunday. Mailam in the district received the maximum rainfall of 50cm in the state.

Stalin will visit the cyclone shelter at Manthavaipudukuppam village in Marakanam union in the district and interact with the people, who were rescued from low lying areas and accommodated there. He will also visit the Vikravandi RDO’s office and review the relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken so far.

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall on the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Saturday, November 30, has caused widespread flooding in several areas, particularly in Cuddalore.

As the storm moves westward, heavy rainfall is expected in parts of Andhra Pradesh, including coastal and Rayalaseema regions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued warnings for continued severe weather in these areas.

KVS Srinivas, Managing Director of the Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam, said that cyclone Fengal is likely to move westwards very slowly, as it has remained stationary at the same location for the past six hours.

Due to continuous heavy rains, a holiday has been declared tomorrow in all the government and government-aided schools, private schools and all colleges in Puducherry: Education minister A Namachivayam informs

Amid heavy downpours and widespread flooding caused by cyclonic storm Fengal, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin visited the State Emergency Operation Centre on Sunday to review the ongoing relief operations.

During his visit, Stalin called on the Union government to send a central team to assess the situation and evaluate the crop damage caused by the cyclone.

The Chief Minister also toured several areas in the Kolathur assembly constituency, accompanied by Tamil Nadu Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran and other officials from the disaster management department.

Stalin shared that nearly 27,000 people have received food packets from Amma canteens since Saturday, as part of the relief efforts. He also noted that 21 of Chennai's 23 subways have been successfully cleared of waterlogging.

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall near Puducherry on November 30, weakened into a deep depression on Sunday. However, the aftermath of the cyclone unleashed heavy rains that brought life to a standstill in the union territory. Inundated streets forced the Army to step in for rescue operations, evacuating stranded residents.

Veterans of Puducherry described the downpour and its impact as the worst seen in over three decades. Neighboring Villupuram in Tamil Nadu also bore the brunt of the cyclone's fury. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin called the rainfall in the district "unprecedented," as heavy flooding disrupted normalcy.

Meanwhile, operations at Chennai Airport, suspended on Saturday due to the cyclone, resumed past midnight. Despite initial cancellations and delays, flight services returned to normal later in the day, airport officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that Cyclone Fengal had weakened significantly but continued to influence weather patterns in the region, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

On Cyclone Fengal, Tamil Nadu additional chief secretary revenue and disaster management Rajesh Lakhani said, "The cyclone has crossed and now our focus has shifted to restoration of the damage. There has been heavy rainfall until now. In some areas, 56 centimetres of rainfall has taken place... Cyclone was stagnant for some time so the rainfall was very heavy. A lot of trees have fallen, and water stagnation is there. People were evacuated already. 49 relief camps are there in Viluppuram alone. A lot of poles have fallen so disruption of road traffic as well as power supply has taken place which is now being restored..."

Many districts in Tamil Nadu are witnessing incessant rainfall after Cyclone Fengal made landfall last on November 30. Residential areas in Cuddalore district were flooded due to heavy rainfall and disaster teams are using boats to rescue people.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team led by District Collector Balaraman is rescuing the affected people with the help of boats.

The Tamil Nadu Disaster Rescue team removed a tree that fell on the national highway in Chinna Gangankuppam, a border area of Cuddalore and Puducherry, with the help of a JCB machine.

Due to adverse weather conditions, including rain and strong, gusty winds (which later led to the closure of Chennai airport), the cockpit crew of flight 6E 683, operating between Mumbai and Chennai, executed a go-around on November 30, 2024, in accordance with established safety protocols. This is a standard and safe manoeuvre, and our pilots are extensively trained to handle such situations with the utmost professionalism. A go-around is performed when a safe landing cannot be achieved, as was the case with this flight. We would like to reaffirm our commitment to the safety of our passengers, aircraft, and crew members: Indigo spokesperson

"The cyclone has crossed but the rainfall is continuing in 2-3 districts. Teams have been deployed for the temporary restoration work to clear waterlogging, restore electricity, water supply and more," says Tamil Nadu Disaster and Revenue management additional chief secretary Rajesh Lakhoni.

Villupuram District Collector Dr C Palani says, "We had a very heavy rain Marakkanam and Kottakuppam coastal area. We had almost 45 to 50 centimetres of rainfall. We have however made preemptive steps to move the possibly affected people to the shelters. We have almost 1400 people who have already shifted in the night itself..."

Heavy rainfall caused widespread waterlogging in housing colonies, leaving residents stranded. Vehicles were submerged, and many houses were flooded. Shops closed, and relief centers were set up for evacuees. Roads were waterlogged, disrupting daily life, and farmlands were damaged. Voluntary organizations helped supply food to those in relief camps.






You said:

IMD predicted "extremely heavy" rainfall in the union territory of Puducherry for today and "moderate" for December 2.

Isolated places over north Tamil Nadu are likely to witness "heavy to very heavy rainfall" today. The weather department had informed that the wind speed along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts would reach "70-80 kilometres per hour gusting to 90 kmph".

Cyclonic Storm “FENGAL” [pronounced as FEINJAL] has caused extremely heavy rainfall over city of Puducherry. The city recorded 48.4cm today, the 1st Dec (cumulative rainfall during past 24 hours till 0830 hours IST of today). It is the highest 24-hours cumulative rainfall in last 30-years for the period 1995-2024.

The Indian Army has launched flood relief operations in Puducherry following heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Fengal, which has resulted in widespread waterlogging. The operations were initiated in response to a formal requisition from the District Collector of Puducherry, requesting immediate assistance.

Puducherry CM N Rangaswamy says, "After several years, Puducherry has received 50 cm of rainfall, resulting in severe flooding. I am currently inspecting the flood-affected areas. Rescue teams are working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded in the floodwaters"

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall near Puducherry late on November 30, brought high tides and rough sea conditions to Chennai's beaches.

​​ The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) forecasted "isolated heavy to very heavy" rainfall for Chennai on Sunday.

​​ Strong winds and high tides led to sand being washed onto the Pattinapakkam beach road. The Greater Chennai Corporation deployed JCB machines to clear the sand and restore traffic. Rough sea conditions were also observed at Marina and Elliot's Beach.

The Cyclonic Storm “FENGAL” [pronounced as FEINJAL] over north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry remained stationary during past 6 hours and lay centered at 5.30am today, over the same region close to Puducherry, about 30 km north of Cuddalore, 40 km east of Villupuram and 120 km south-southwest of Chennai.

It is likely to move westwards slowly and weaken gradually into a deep depression over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next 6 hours.

All five dams at Tirumala reach their full reservoir level capacities due to the incessant rains triggered by cyclone Fengal. TTD adopted alacrity measures at Tirumala a couple of months ago when the water levels at the five dams at Tirumala depleted on account of the failure of the monsoon this year.

However the Papavinasanam, Gogarbham, Akasa Ganga, Kumaradhara and Pasupudhara are dams have reached their full reservoir capacities by Sunday morning

Due to heavy rains, flooding happened everywhere in Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu last night. The bus stand got completely inundated, as a result, the buses are now operating from outside the bus stand.

Cyclone Fengal made landfall near Puducherry on November 30, completing the process between 10.30pm and 11.30pm, according to the IMD.

The storm remained stationary near the union territory and is expected to weaken into a deep depression over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry within the next few hours.

Puducherry recorded its highest-ever rainfall of 46 cm, surpassing the 21 cm recorded in October 2004, while Mailam in Villupuram district received 50 cm of rain during the same period.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted extremely heavy rainfall in Puducherry on Sunday following Cyclone Fengal's landfall on Saturday evening. The cyclone struck the Union Territory’s coast at 7pm, bringing strong winds and intense downpours.

IMD predicts extremely heavy rainfall in Puducherry today, with "moderate" rainfall expected on December 2. Meanwhile, isolated areas in northern Tamil Nadu are likely to experience "heavy to very heavy rainfall" throughout the day.

The IMD also reported that wind speeds along and off the coasts of northern Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining southern Andhra Pradesh are expected to reach "70-80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph." The strong winds are anticipated to persist until the night of November 30 before gradually subsiding.

Cyclone Fengal's heavy rains caused waterlogging on major arterial roads, disrupting traffic and confining vehicles to service lanes for most of Saturday.

Key stretches, including Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), Mount-Poonamallee High Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, and Anna Salai near Guindy, were cleared using pumps deployed by various government agencies such as the State Highways Department, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and Chennai Metro Rail Limited.

Highways Minister E.V. Velu inspected the affected roads, but sections of the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road beyond Pallavaram remained submerged under knee-deep water. Subways in areas like Pazhavanthangal, T. Nagar (Madley Road), and Moolakadai (Sundaram Point) were closed, forcing commuters to take detours.

Meanwhile, roads in Santhome, near Marina Loop Road, and Thiruvottiyur were further obstructed by sand carried by strong winds, adding to driving difficulties.

Cyclonic Storm Fengal crossed the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts early Sunday morning and is expected to weaken into a deep depression within the next few hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD reported that the cyclone made landfall near Puducherry between 10.30pm and 11.30pm IST on Saturday, with wind speeds ranging from 70-80 kmph and gusts reaching up to 90 kmph.

"The Cyclonic Storm FENGAL crossed North Tamil Nadu & Puducherry coasts near latitude 12.05°N and longitude 79.9°E, close to Puducherry, between 2230 hrs IST and 2330 hrs IST yesterday, the 30th November as a cyclonic storm with wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph. It lay centred at 2330 hours IST yesterday, the 30th of November over north coastal Tamilnadu & Puducherry near latitude 12.0°N and longitude 79.8°E, close to Puducherry. It will continue to move west-southwestwards slowly and weaken gradually into a deep depression during the next 3 hours," IMD wrote on X.

Electricity, prohibition and excise minister V Senthilbalaji instructed Tangedco officials to suspend electricity supply, if required, in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts.


The minister mentioned that special teams were formed and these teams are to be ready with equipment and machinery to attend to complaints to restore power supply at the earliest. Senthilbalaji also instructed Tangedco personnel to work in full safety gear.