CHENNAI: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has announced that rain is likely to continue till 1 pm on Monday in 10 districts of Tamil Nadu.

According to the forecast, moderate rainfall is expected in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Ranipet, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni, and Dindigul regions due to prevailing weather conditions.

After moving gradually over the past two days, the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone Montha. It is now lying over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, and is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rains to Chennai and its neighbouring districts on Monday.

At present, Cyclone Montha is positioned around 550 km away from Chennai and is currently moving at a speed of about 16 km per hour. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the cyclone is expected to make landfall near Kakinada, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam along the Andhra Pradesh coast, on Tuesday evening or night.

When the cyclone crosses the coast, wind speeds could reach up to 110 km per hour. The IMD has also forecast rain in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu may experience heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas due to the impact of the cyclone.