Cyclone Michaung to hit Andhra coast; PM dials Jagan Reddy, assures all help

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert as Cyclone 'Michaung', which is brewing over the Bay of Bengal and the South Andaman Sea, is gaining strength. Cyclone Michaung, is expected to skip Chennai and make landfall between Andhra Pradesh's Nellore and Machilipatnam with winds that could pack speeds of up to 100 kmph on Tuesday morning.

The depression is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the Southwest Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Thereafter, it would reach the west-central Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by December 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Andhra



Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to take stock of the preparations in light of Cyclone Michaung and assured all help. He also instructed all top officials to ensure all possible help is extended.

The alert has prompted the Puducherry government to declare a holiday for colleges in Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam regions and other state governments to put their response teams on standby. More than 100 State Disaster Response Team members have reached Tamil Nadu's Kanchipuram district, which is likely to be impacted by the cyclone.

The Southern Railway has cancelled 118 trains in Tamil Nadu, including intra-state long-distance trains, between December 3 and 6.