Cyclone Mandous Weakens; Now Bringing Rainfall Over Karnataka

Cyclone Mandous which crossed the Tamil Nadu coast near Mahabalipuram on 9 December, caused heavy rainfall and gusty winds across most of coastal and northern Tamil Nadu.

Chennai city saw waterlogging in low lying areas. Traffic snarls were caused due to hundreds of trees being uprooted. Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin said that four people were killed in rain related incidents.

The cyclone has now weakened into a low-pressure system and is moving towards southern Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

While Andhra Pradesh districts like Prakasam, Chittoor, Kurnool and Anantapur witnessed intermittent rainfall, Bangalore city and adjoining areas saw heavy rainfall throughout the weekend. On Saturday (10 December), Bangalore saw an average 1 cm of rainfall.

While Chief Minister Stalin said that the state has recovered quickly from the impact of the cyclone, due to the preventive measures taken  by the government, the opposition disputed his claims and said that relief work has been lagging as many who lost their homes have not been rehabilitated and power has not yet been restored fully.

The low-pressure system is now expected to move towards the Arabian Sea and bring rainfall to coastal Karnataka.