CHENNAI: As cyclonic storm ‘Mandous’ has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Thursday, several north coastal and interior districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and Karaikal may receive extreme to very heavy rainfall on December 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
While holiday has been declared for schools and colleges on Friday in 19 districts —Chennai, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Cuddalore, Ranipet, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Salem, Dharmapuri and Namakkal—in Tamil Nadu, all educational institutions will remain shut in Karaikal and Puducherry on Friday and Saturday.
The IMD said the storm, which lay centered about 350 km east-southeast of Karaikal and about 440 km southeast of Chennai over southwest Bay of Bengal, is likely to maintain its intensity till Friday morning and then weaken into a cyclonic storm by forenoon.
“It would continue to move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south AP coasts between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mahabalipuram as a cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph around midnight of Friday,” the IMD said in its bulletin.
Red alert issued for Chengalpattu, Kanchi
The IMD had issued a red alert to Puducherry and Kancheepuram, Chengalpet and Villupuram, and orange alert for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Kallakurichi and Cuddalore for Friday.
Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu held discussions with heads of key departments regarding precautionary steps. A total of 12 teams of the NDRF and Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force comprising 396 personnel have been rushed to 10 districts.
The state school education department has postponed the Tamil Nadu Rural Students Talent Search Examination exam, scheduled for December 10, to December 17. Anna University also postponed its final semester exams scheduled on Friday.
The Directorate of Technical Education has also postponed the semester exams scheduled for diploma students. The exam scheduled on December 9 will now be held on December 16 and the rest of the timetable remains same.
Precautionary steps