Cyclone Fengal is forming over the Bay of Bengal and may intensify into a storm soon. The Indian Navy is ready to assist vulnerable areas in Tamil Nadu, as the cyclone approaches the coast, with landfall expected near Chennai or Puducherry.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the Deep Depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclonic Storm Fengal at 2:30 p.m. IST on Wednesday, November 29. The cyclone is predicted to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the affected regions as it makes landfall.

The deep depression will be named Cyclone Fengal if it turns into a cyclonic storm before making landfall. However, the Met department official says weather patterns show it is weakening.

The cyclonic storm, named 'Fengal' and pronounced as 'Feinjal' is likely to make a landfall on November 30 afternoon close to Puducherry with a wind speed, gusting upto 90 kmph

Meanwhile, Cyclone Fengal has already caused massive damage in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district, with heavy rainfall submerging paddy crops in over 800 acres of land. Farmers in affected areas, including Kamashwaram, Virundhamavadi, and Pudupalli, are facing distress as their crops are completely submerged.

The deep depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary about 100 km east-northeast of Trincomalee and it will intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours, the Regional Meteorological Centre,

The storm, the second to develop over the Bay of Bengal this season, packed gusts reaching up to 90 km per hour as it crossed the coastline. The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai warned of continued heavy rainfall through Sunday,

Cyclone Fengal-triggered heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds lashed northern Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry on Saturday, prompting a shutdown of the Chennai airport, and inundated many parts of the city but there were no immediate reports of a major damage,

Cyclonic storm Fengal completed its landfall across the Tamil Nadu coast on Sunday around 2 am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a post on social platform X. The landfall began across the coast between Mahabalipuram and Puducherry and lasted for several hours on Sunday night.

Chennai and neighbourhood areas in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry reported heavy rainfall on Saturday with intense continuing as the cyclone Fengal's landfall process commences at around 7pm.

The IMD also issued a red alert for at least ten districts of the states in southern India given incessant rainfall.