Normal life was crippled in Puducherry due to heavy rains that lashed the union territory in the wake of Cyclone Fengal, which crossed the coast here on November 30 night.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cyclone Fengal will cross the Tamil Nadu - Puducherry coast sometime during the afternoon hours on Saturday.

Puducherry recorded its highest-ever rainfall of 46 cm during the storm, IMD Regional Meteorological Centre Additional Director General S Balachandran said in a Sunday morning update at 7:30 am.

W ith the slow-moving system picking up pace, the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai (RMC) announced that cyclone Fengal will cross close to Puducherry by Saturday (November

The Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has set up toll-free numbers 112 and 1077 to receive distress calls from the public. People can also seek help through the WhatsApp number 9488981070.

In a 7:35 pm update, the IMD reported that the forward sector of the cyclone's spiral bands has already moved inland. The storm is forecast to continue moving west-southwest, crossing the northern Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram,

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 cyclonic storm has progressed towards Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and is making landfall near Puducherry, an IMD official said. A red alert has been issued for 10 districts of Tamil Nadu.

Cyclone Fengal is expected to make landfall near Puducherry later today, prompting officials to issue warnings and prepare for potential impact. Around 12 lakh residents received SMS alerts urging vigilance as heavy rains lashed the region on Saturday.

Landfall of Cyclone Fengal begins, likely to cross Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts in 3-4 hours, says weather office This is a breaking news story. Details will be added soon. Please refresh the page for latest version.