Cyclone Fani unlikely to make landfall in TN

However, weather office here predicted that the chances of cyclone crossing Tamil Nadu is very limited.

Regional Meteorological deputy director general Dr S Balachandran on Saturday said that the cyclone will move towards north-west of Sri Lanka coast and reach near north Tamil Nadu on April 30.

“Friday’s deep depression over Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclone at 11.30 am on Saturday. This would further intensify as severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours,” he said.

The storm has been named Fani, as suggested by Bangladesh, he said.

A senior official from the MET department also pointed out in the evening that the exact landfall of the cyclone will be predicted in the coming days according to the movement of the cyclone.

However, he hinted that only 20 per cent chances are there for the cyclone to cross the state.

“Heavy rain is expected to occur in northern Tamil Nadu from Tuesday,” he said adding that in Chennai there would be isolated heavy rains on the same day.

On the weather conditions of Chennai for the next 48 hours, the official said the sky is likely to be partly cloudy. Maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 36 and 28 degrees Celsius respectively during the same period.

A weather bulletin also said that thunderstorm with gusty winds speed reaching 40-50 kmph and lightning is likely to occur at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday. The rainfall will also continue on Monday over the same region.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places as likely over Kerala on April 29 and 30.

It forecast light to moderate rainfall at few places over north coastal Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh on April 30 andMay 1.