The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday forecast heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places over Nilgiris district over the next 24 hours as severe cyclonic storm Murasu made landfall along the south Andhra Pradesh coast.
The Tamil Nadu government has put contingency measures in place to prevent disruption to normal life, with the storm bringing heavy downpours across northern parts of the state and Chennai. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in Arakkonam and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) remain deployed across vulnerable parts of Tamil Nadu. Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday and is expected to move northwestward, weakening into a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 80–90 kmph by Tuesday afternoon before further degrading into a deep depression by midnight, according to IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre. Chennai received 7.6 cm of rain as of Monday, while 21 subways did not face inundation and opened to traffic, according to IMD. The Greater Chennai Corporation received 237 complaints about water stagnation, 32 about fallen trees, and 133 about streetlights, officials said.
Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts were closed on Monday due to the weather, and 11 flights from Chennai to various destinations were canceled.
It would further weaken into a deep depression by Tuesday midnight, the weather office said.
