Cyclone 'Gaja' is expected to make a landfall around Nagapattinam between Pamban to the South and Cuddalore to the North on the Tamil Nadu coast this evening or later into the night.

The expected intensification of 'Gaja', located this morning to 370 km each from Chennai (west-north-west) and Nagapattinam (west-south-west), is expected to happen by 3 pm.

While continuing to move west­-south-westwards thereafter, 'Gaja' will cross the Tamil Nadu coast  around Nagapattinam as a cyclone, India Met Department (IMD) said.

'Gaja' will pack howling winds speeding to 80- to ­90 km/hr gusting to 100 km/hr, which is not too far below the rank of a severe cyclone status (89- to 118 km/hr).

In fact, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, 'Gaja' could retain the status of a severe cyclone as it makes landfall.

The Met has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at a few places for the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts today with extremely heavy rain at isolated places. It will be heavy at isolated places over Kerala, Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

As for tomorrow, heavy rain is forecast for Interior Tamil Nadu as a remnant 'Gaja' passes over, with possibility of very heavy rain at isolated places.

The heavy to very heavy rain belt will migrate then to parts of southern Kerala even as heavy rain would be dumped over South Interior Karnataka and south Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The 'Gaja' remnant will then step out into the Arabian Sea and gain further traction there; some global models do not rule out genesis of another cyclone in the Arabian Sea in the neighbourhood of Lakshadweep.

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Satellite image taken on November 15, 2018, at 11 am. Source IMD

 

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