Chennai woke up with cloudy skies and intermittent rains with winds as the city braced for heavy rainfall as cyclonic storm intensifies into Montha intensified in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, October 28. The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts of Tamil Nadu throughout the day.
The cyclone Montha is likely to make landfall near Kakinada, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone to bring widespread rainfall with winds reaching 90–100 km/h and gusts up to 110 km/h.
Also Track Cyclone Montha Live Tracker Map.
School Holiday in Chennai?
The Tamil Nadu government has not announced school holidays officially, but several primary schools and anganwadis declared shutdown due to rough weather and the forecast for heavy rainfall. The Chennai administration will decide in the next few hours, depending on the weather report.
Also Read | Cyclone Montha Intensifies Into Cyclonic Storm; 8 Districts in Odisha on High Alert.
If the weather in the city further intensifies into heavy rainfall, then authorities may declare a school holiday on Tuesday (October 28) to ensure the safety of students.
Cyclone Montha Impact
The India Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rain alert for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Puducherry for the coming days. Tamil Nadu and Rayalaseema to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall between October 27 to October 28. Coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are bracing for rainfall from October 26 to 30 as cyclonic storm Montha is likely to pass over the state on Tuesday, October 28.
Heavy rainfall is announced in Odisha and Telangana from October 27 to 30. Eight districts of Odisha are already on high alert. The administrations of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have deployed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) teams to respond to untoward events and emergencies. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea from October 26–29 due to rough conditions along the coast.