Control rooms have been opened in alldepartments. Fishermen have been advised not to ventureinto the sea and people from coastal areas are being shifted to safer places. According to a special bulletin issued bythe weather office at 0900 hours, the storm lay 100 km east of Cuddalore. It is likely to intensifyfurther and move in a west-northwesterly direction and cross the coast between Cuddalorein north Tamil Nadu and Nellore in south Andhra Pradesh by tomorrow morning, the bulletinadded. In Chennai, Nungambakkamreceived 4.9 mm rainfall from 0830 hrs to 1730 hrs today while Meenambakkam had only 3.2mm rainfall in the same period.
Heavy rainfall is expectedfrom the early hours of tomorrow in Chennai, according to weathermen.
Current estimatesare that the storm could be heading for Chennai. The 'very severe' cyclonicstorm over Bay of Bengal lay about 270 kms south-east of Chennai and was likely to crossthe north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Wednesday,reports Gautham Adithya. The weathermen haveforecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over Tiruvallur, Chennai,Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Pudukottaidistricts of Tamil Nadu, and Pondicherry during the next 48 hours. The sea would be rough andfishermen have been advised not to venture into it. Great Danger signal number 10 has beenhoisted in Chennai and Pondicherry ports.