Cyclone Fengal was named by Saudi Arabia
Chennai:
Schools and colleges in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry remained closed today as heavy rains were forecast due to the impact of Cyclone Fengal brewing over the Bay of Bengal.
Schools and colleges will remain closed in Chennai, Chengalpattu and Cuddalore on Friday, while in Puducherry they will be closed on Friday and Saturday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression over southwestern Bay of Bengal is moving north-northeastward and is likely to develop into a cyclonic storm.
“It was located about 240 kilometers northeast of Trincomalee, 330 kilometers east-southeast of Nagappattinam, 390 kilometers east-southeast of Puducherry and 430 kilometers southeast of Chennai as of 11.30 pm IST yesterday,” the Met office said today.
Deep depression over southwestern Bay of Bengal
The deep depression over Southwestern Bay of Bengal was moving north-northeastward at a speed of 9 km per hour for the past 6 hours and was centered at 2330 hrs IST of yesterday, November 28, 2024, over the same region near 10.1°N latitude. .. pic.twitter.com/fWrHcATwJS
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 28, 2024
It is very likely to cross the northern Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, near Puducherry, on Saturday morning as a depression with wind speed of 45-55 kmph gusting up to 65 kmph.
Rain forecast in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, which have been witnessing incessant rainfall for the past few days, are bracing for more showers with the possibility of Cyclone Fengal crossing the coast near Chennai.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ariyalur and Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu on Friday and Saturday.
Heavy rain is also likely to occur over Puducherry.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin and his Puducherry counterpart N Rangasamy chaired meetings to review preparedness for the heavy rains and possible cyclonic storm.
What Cyclone Fengal was called
The process of naming tropical cyclones is overseen by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
The five regional tropical cyclone bodies – ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee, RA IV Hurricane Committee and RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee – prepare pre-designated lists of names proposed by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of WMO Members.
The selection of names is also based on their familiarity with the people of each region.
When a new name is selected, some of the following factors are taken into account: Short character length for ease of use in communication; easy to pronounce; appropriate meaning in different languages; and uniqueness – the same names cannot be used in other regions.
The WMO says assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms “easier, especially when multiple storms are active at the same time.”
According to the WMO, Fengal's name was suggested by Saudi Arabia.