Cyclone Mandous at the moment has moved more of a northwestward with the speed of 12 km ph inching closer to the coast. The system is still about 230 km south southeast of Chennai and 230 km from Puducherry. It intensified to a severe Cyclone.
However, in the next couple of hours the system is very likely to weaken into a Cyclonic Storm. Thereafter, the movement of the storm will slow down and it will have a very slow movement thereafter. Now, due to dry air entrainment, proximity of land and drop in sea temperatures, gradually the weakening of the storm will take place.
Though the peripherals will reach the coast and cross much earlier, the landfall per se will be only during the night. However, the forward section of the clouds which attributes to rainfall activities will reach much faster. Landfall only occurs when the centre of the storm crosses the coast.
Heavy to very heavy rains will be seen over North Tamil Nadu and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Thus cities of Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Chennai, Puducherry, Ongole, Bapatla, Cuddalore, Nellore will be in the firing range of the storm.