Cyclone Nada likely to weaken into deep depression

The coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has experienced moderate to heavy rain from Thursday morning, though the cyclonic storm Nada is likely to weaken into Deep Depression and cross North Tamil Nadu coast, south of Cuddalore by earlier hours of December 2.
 

While on Wednesday, the predication was that Nada will hit the Tamil Nadu coast on December 2, resulting in very heavy rainfall in the northern part of the state. Later, the weather department said that the storm is likely to weaken.

The department issued an alert that squally winds would prevail along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts on Thursday and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over these region. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea for the next 24 hours, said the alert.

The storm, which had a speed of about 12 kmph, has weekened into a deep depression and was at 290 kilometers south-southeast of Chennai at 11.30 in the morning, it said.

Earlier, the government has alerted all the district collectors to take all precautionary measures and necessary actions if required to evacuate people from low lying and vulnerable areas to the relief centres. Two team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are being pre-positioned in Cuddalore and one each in Nagapattinam and Chennai to meet out any eventuality, it said.

It may be noted that a deep depression which hit the State in the first couple of days of December, last year, has resulted in flood in three districts including Chennai, washing away several houses and industrial facilities.