Normal life was hit in Puducherry with incessant rains pounding the Union Territory since Sunday. The city saw incessant rain for three hours this morning, which delayed trains to Chennai and hit thousands of passengers. The Tamil Nadu coast is bracing for a possible cyclone as a depression over the Bay of Bengal is set to make landfall later on Monday.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression lay centred at around 110 km east south-east of Puducherry. It would move west-northwestwards to close in on Tamil Nadu coast, intensify into a deep depression and subsequently into a cyclone.

Cyclone threat in Tamil Nadu state:

“In the next 12 hours, we expect it to become a deep depression. It may possibly result in a cyclone storm later,” deputy director of the meteorological department, SR Ramanan told ANI.

The cyclone, the first in the Bay of Bengal during this North-East monsoon season, is expected to cross North Tamil Nadu coast between Karaikal and Chennai close to Puducherry by tonight.

Schools and colleges remained shut in the three districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur. Sources said the incessant rains also led to reduction in 1540 MW in power generation in Neyveli Lignite Corporation.

Three people have lost their lives so far in the heavy rains. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into sea along the coasts of most of the districts.