Cyclone Michaung: Heavy rain floods runway at Chennai airport
What's the story
Ahead of Cyclone Michaung's expected landfall on Tuesday, heavy rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu and flooded the Chennai International Airport on Monday. Amid the heavy downpours, 33 flights were diverted from Chennai to Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The runway at airport will reportedly remain shut until Tuesday morning. The cyclone is expected to make its landfall on Andhra Pradesh's coast, between Nellore and Machilipatnam, on Tuesday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry have been witnessing heavy downpours with thunderstorms due to the cyclone's impact. Cyclone Michaung would be the Bay of Bengal's second cyclonic storm in just under a month. Its name was proposed by Myanmar. Last month, Cyclone Midhili impacted several eastern coastal states with high-speed winds and heavy rains before making landfall in Bangladesh.
Details
Heavy rainfall lashes Chennai, low-lying areas flooded
Several images and videos of the Chennai airport also went viral on social media, showing the runway completely flooded with water. Meanwhile, several parts of the city are grappling with the impact of Michaung as heavy rains continue to disrupt daily life, with waterlogged roads, flooded buildings, fallen electric poles, uprooted trees, and submerged vehicles. Numerous low-lying areas, including railway tracks, residential zones, and hospitals, are inundated, prompting civic agencies to mobilize workers to remove the water.
Twitter Post
Visuals from Chennai International Airport
Understand this is Chennai airport today.
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) December 4, 2023
The sea seems to have taken it over.
And the most lowly paid staff in an airline typically are out braving it all. 👏👍#ChennaiRains pic.twitter.com/vJWNTmtTez
What Next?
Disaster response teams at work in rain-hit areas
Moreover, evacuations are ongoing in the rain-effected areas of Tamil Nadu. Several State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have undertaken the operations in the impacted districts. Separately, on Sunday night, a crocodile was spotted on the road of Chennai's Perungalathur neighborhood as water levels in low-lying areas continued to rise. In a viral clip, the crocodile could be seen crawling on the side before disappearing into the bushes.
Twitter Post
Crocodile spotted on Chennai streets on Sunday night
Crocodile🐊 on the streets of Chennai.#CycloneMichuang pic.twitter.com/ohLGpu4sMG
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) December 4, 2023
Know more
IMD's weather warning for Cyclone Michaung
In its latest update, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Michaung would continue to gradually intensify. The IMD added it will "move nearly northwards" and cross the southern Andhra coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam, near Bapatla, before noon on Tuesday. It is expected to cross the coast with a maximum 90-100km/h sustained wind speed gusting to 110km/h. Besides AP, TN, and Puducherry, the cyclone is predicted to trigger heavy rains in Odisha as well.