
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has recently issued a yellow alert for 15 districts of Tamil Nadu. This alert comes in response to Cyclone Fengal, which has been moving slowly westward, causing heavy rain in many parts of the state. The RMC predicts heavy rain of up to 11 cm in interior and Western Ghat districts, including the Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, and Madurai.
The impact of Cyclone Fengal has been significant, with Uthangarai in Krishnagiri district recording 50 cm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Monday. Over the weekend, heavy rainfall battered several areas, including Kedar, Soorapattu, Mundiyampakkam, Villupuram town, and Koliyanur in Villupuram district; Harur in Dharmapuri district; and Thirupalapandal and Madampoondi in Kallakurichi district.
The RMC has stated that the weather system, now a well-marked low-pressure area over north-interior Tamil Nadu, is expected to weaken further and move into the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
S. Balachandran, Additional Director General of Meteorology, Chennai, explained that Cyclone Fengal was a complex weather system with various interactions during its different stages of intensity over the ocean. He noted that the system's slow movement and gradual weakening had brought record rainfall to districts along its path. The cyclone remained stationary for an unusually long time compared to other systems.

The RMC added that rainfall activity in Tamil Nadu is expected to be limited to isolated areas, starting Thursday. Tamil Nadu has received nearly 43 cm of rainfall this season, compared to the average of 36 cm since October 1. The intense rainfall from Cyclone Fengal over the past two days has significantly reduced rain deficits across several districts.
Villupuram and Krishnagiri districts have seen surpluses of 74 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively, in seasonal rainfall as of Monday. Operations at the Chennai airport, which had been suspended on Saturday, resumed at 1 am the next day, but many flights saw cancellations and delays initially, officials said.
Meanwhile, three trains were cancelled due to the cyclone impact. Puducherry Education Minister A Namachivayam declared a holiday for all government and private schools and colleges in the Union Territory due to the heavy rainfall and flooding. The Tamil Nadu government declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Vellore and Ranipet districts due to the current situation.
The Indian Army deployed its soldiers and boats and evacuated stranded people in Puducherry and parts of Tamil Nadu. About 600 people were rescued from different locations in Puducherry. Teams of the NDRF and SDRF, and local authorities rescued people by using inflatable boats as roads remained flooded.
The Chief Minister said that floodwater in north Chennai was cleared using large motors. About 1,700 motor pumps of different capacity were on standby. Of the 22 subways in Chennai, traffic movement was smooth in 21, while one was already closed due to railway work, he said.