CYCLONE VARDHA CROSESS CHENNAI AND WEAKENS
MET officials said Cyclone Vardha which means RED ROSE, gained momentum and intensity on its path across the Bay of Bengal. S Balachandran, the director of the Chennai-based Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said the tropical storm will dump “heavy to very heavy rain” in many places of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, including its capital city which was battered by devastating floods in December last year.
Cyclone Vardah made landfall close to the Chennai coast at about 3 pm and barrelled inland, packing windspeed up to 140 kmph but is expected to lose intensity as it moves further inshore.
More than 9,000 people were evacuated to safety in the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh while educational institutions were shut as the “very severe” cyclonic storm whipped up waves as high as 20 ft.
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