Cyclone Burevi weakens into deep depression, to cross Tamil Nadu early on Friday

CHENNAI: The cyclonic storm ‘Burevi’ over the Gulf of Mannar close to Pamban moved westwards with a speed of 9 kmph weakened into a deep depression and lay centered at close to Ramanathapuram coast, about 20 km southwest of Pamban and 210 km east-northeast of Kanniyakumari. 

The associated wind speed is about 55-65 gusting to 75 kmph. The deep depression would move west-southwestwards and cross Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi between Thursday night and Friday wee hours with a wind speed of 50-60 gusting to 70 kmph. It is very likely to weaken further into a depression (wind speed 40-50kmph gusting to 60 kmph) by Friday morning, N Puviarasan, director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre at Regional Meteorological Centre said. 

Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Theni, Madurai, and Sivagangai districts have all received heavy downpour on Thursday and continued to receive heavy spells till Saturday.
 
The storm surge of about 1 metre height above astronomical tide is very likely to inundate low lying areas of south coastal Tamilnadu during the time of landfall. Chennai has received 17.5 mm of rainfall on Thursday.  In the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am, Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam received 20 cm of rainfall, the highest in the State, following by 16 cm in Karaikal and 15 cm in Thalaignayer in Nagapattinam.