Southern India hit by cyclone Fengal as it makes landfall

Heavy rains have hit India’s south and a major airport shut operations as cyclone Fengal made landfall late Saturday.

Cyclones that are equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific are a regular and deadly menace in the northern Indian Ocean.

India’s weather department said that the forward sector of spiral bands associated with the cyclone has entered into the land” with a forecast of sustained winds of 70-80 kilometres an hour (43-50 miles per hour).

Local authorities also said there was a moderate to high flash flood risk over a few areas.

Several cities in the state of Tamil Nadu were flooded while authorities extended closure of the main airport in capital city Chennai till Sunday.

“Due to stormy winds, the road is heavily covered with sand and motorists are advised to proceed with caution,” traffic police in Chennai posted on social media platform X.

Schools and colleges in numerous districts in the state were shut and at least 471 people had been moved to relief camps, local media reported.

Fengal skirted the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week, killing at least 12 people including six children.

Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world heats up due to climate change driven by burning fossil fuels.