Chennai: Cyclone 'Nisha', with wind speed of 75 km, moved slightly northwards and crossed the Tamil Nadu coast close to north of Karaikal between 5.30 am and 6.30 am on Thursday.
It now lies centred close to North West off Karaikal. The system is likely to move in a North Westerly direction and will weaken gradually, the meterological office said.
Under its influence, very heavy rainfall would occur in almost all places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 24 hours, starting from 8.30 am on Thursday.
36 killed as heavy rains continue to lash TN
The condition of the sea would be rough and signal number 3 has been hoisted at Chennai, Ennore, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, it said. Fishermen have been advised not to venture to sea.
Chennai recorded 14 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, accompanied by wind with speed of 45-55 km, while Vedaranyam recorded 33 cm, they said. In Chennai, the Corporation has evacuated people in low-lying areas, while a similar exercise was carried out in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts.
The North East monsoon has claimed a total of 64 lives since its onset in October last, of which 40 were in the last couple of days. Official sources said that the unabated rains in Delta districts for the past five days has thrown normal life out of gear and submerged samba paddy crop.
Heavy rains to continue in TN
Trees were uprooted and power cables snapped in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Cuddalore districts, bearing the brunt of the rains. Many small rivers are in spate and a number of breaches have been reported in these areas, they said.
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