Cyclone Fengal Landfall Today: Chennai Faces Torrential Rain, Flight Delays

Heavy rain pummelled parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, and neighbouring Puducherry as Cyclone Fengal (pronounced Feinjal) moved closer to the coastline and is expected to make landfall on Saturday evening. The cyclone, which is likely to make landfall between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram near Puducherry, paralysed normal life, affecting flight operations at the Chennai airport and local train services. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, indicating extremely heavy rainfall, in seven coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. The cyclone is expected to hit the Puducherry coast with wind speeds up to 90 kmph.

CYCLONE FENGAL: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered all schools and colleges in Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu districts to remain closed today. The state government has also advised IT companies to allow their employees to work from home today. Due to heavy rain, over 10 arrivals and departures have been cancelled at Chennai airport. IndiGo said it has temporarily suspended all arrival and departure flight operations. An IndiGo flight (6E1412) from Abu Dhabi to Chennai has been diverted to Bengaluru due to bad weather. Due to heavy rain, local trains in all suburban sections in Chennai division are operating at reduced frequency intervals.