“It is due to its slow movement, Fengal has brought exceptionally heavy rainfall over some districts of north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry. Despite nine hours having passed that it crossed over land, Fengal continues to maintain its intensity as a cyclone, against the norm of weakening when any cyclone hits land,” said an IMD official.

To assist residents, 329 relief centers have been set up across Chennai, providing food, water, and shelter. Schools and colleges are closed in Chennai and Puducherry.

The viral clip shows the IndiGo flight preparing to touch the ground during heavy rain and strong winds. When the plane’s wheels reach just inches from the ground, it flies off again, aborting the landing.

The Cyclone Fengal, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, made landfall near Puducherry late Saturday night, between 10:30 PM and 11:30 PM.

Cyclone Fengal's approach has caused havoc in Chennai, with strong winds and rainfall uprooting trees and waterlogging roads. It is expected to cross the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast by evening. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely and have issued several advisories,

Parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry experienced heavy rains due to the landfall process of cyclone Fengal. Senior officials in three southern states, including Andhra Pradesh assigned to supervise and coordinate related tasks with district authorities are stationed in their respective districts.

Cyclonic storm Fengal commenced its landfall process close to Puducherry and it may approximately take 4 hours for it to cross the coast completely, PTI reported, citing an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official on Saturday.

Chennai airport on Friday announced suspension of operations till 4 am on December 1 following heavy inundation of runways and the taxiway, due to the cyclone 'Fengal' triggered rains and the 'adverse weather condition,

The airport was earlier closed from noon to 7pm on Saturday as airlines cited difficulties in landing and taking off due to heavy crosswinds.