Chennai: Respite for residents as IMD predicts light rain; city airport opens
Residents in parts of Chennai got respite from the rain on Tuesday. Power services have been restored and city airport too opened and priority given to stranded passengers
The latest IMD bulletin came as a major relief to the rain-battered Chennai and neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday (December 5), with light to moderate rainfall being predicted for most places in north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and isolated heavy rainfall, which will decrease later in the day.
The airfield area of Chennai airport has also opened since 9 am on Tuesday and airlines and other stakeholders have been intimated for planning their operations, said officials.
Rains have stopped, and water has receded in the Chennai airport area and there is no water stagnation in the runways or taxiways, officials said adding that a lot of slush and filth was being cleared out.
Officials said that priority is given for departures to clear the stranded passengers at the airport.
There are 21 aircraft on ground and around 1,500 passengers inside the Terminals at Chennai Airport, officials said, adding that an adequate quantity of food is available in the airport outlets.
Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in Chennai and adjoining districts on Monday leading to shutting down of air services to and from the city's airport.
Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc across Chennai and adjoining districts on Monday, causing flooding and disrupting normal life. Residents in some parts of Chennai reported no rain since early hours on Tuesday and mentioned that power services had been restored in those areas. However, train services to and from the city remain suspended.
The latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) states that coastal Andhra Pradesh will also continue to receive light to moderate rainfall in most places. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday. Additionally, exceptionally heavy rainfall at one or two places is likely over north coastal and adjoining south coastal Andhra Pradesh on Dec 5.
As per the latest IMD bulletin, the Severe Cyclonic Storm Michaung (pronounced as Mig-jaum) over west-central Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts moved north-north-westwards with a speed of 07 kmph during the past 06 hours. At 0230 hours IST on Tuesday, it was centred 20 km north-northeast of Nellore, 170 km north of Chennai, 150 km south of Bapatla, and 210 km south-southwest of Machilipatnam.
The bulletin noted that as the system is nearly moving northwards close to the coast, some parts of the wall cloud region lie over land.
The cyclone is likely to move nearly northwards parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam, close to Bapatla during the forenoon of Tuesday as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph, the bulletin added.
(With agency inputs)