Cyclone 'Mandous' to make landfall today: IMD

Chennai: Heavy rainfall is predicted over several parts of Tamil Nadu as cyclone 'Mandous' over the Bay of Bengal is expected to cross the coast between Puducherry and Sriharikota in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on the midnight of December 9, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

The well-marked low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on December 6 and it further intensified into a "deep depression" and lay about 750 km off Chennai as on Wednesday.

In its bulletin issued on Thursday, the IMD said the cyclonic storm 'Mandous' (pronounced as 'Mandous') over Southwest Bay of Bengal about 500 km off east south east of Karaikal. "It is expected to move west-northwest and cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining South Andhra Pradesh coast between Puducherry and Sriharikota with a wind speed of 70 km per hour around midnight of December 9," an IMD bulletin said.

Puducherry is about 160 km from Chennai. The Tamil Nadu government has made all precautionary measures in view of the forecast for heavy rainfall. – PTI