Cyclone Nivar, has weakened from a “very severe cyclonic storm” to a “severe cyclonic storm” and moves towards northwest towards Karnataka. Coastal guards on high alert, fishermen in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu advised not to step out till tomorrow.
Cyclone Nivar, which has weakened from a “very severe cyclonic storm” to a “severe cyclonic storm”, made landfall near the costal town of Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu, 30 km north of Puducherry at around 2:30 am. More than two lakh people have been evacuated to safety in the coastal states that had been bracing for the cyclone – the fifth-strongest category on India’s scale of seven storm types. While the damage assessment is on, the state governments say they have been working on “war-footing” amid heavy rainfall and flooding in many parts.
“The cyclone has completely moved to the land, and it would further weaken into a cyclonic storm in the next six hours. Heavy rain would continue,” Dr S Balachandran, Director at Chennai’s Meteorological Department, said. The tropical storm, which originated in Bay of Bengal, forced authorities in the southern states to declare a public holiday till Thursday, close the Chennai airport and metro services.
