India is bracing for intense rainfall over the next few days as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into what will be called Cyclone Fengal by Nov. 29, according to local media reports.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone is likely to pass near the coast of Sri Lanka and move toward India’s southernmost state, Tamil Nadu, where the agency issued rainfall alerts until Dec. 1. As it intensifies, the storm is expected to result in wind speeds of 50-60 kilometers per hour (31-37 miles per hour), with gusts of up to 70 kph (43 mph).
As of Nov. 28 morning, many schools had shut, while in some parts of the state, thousands of hectares of rice fields are already submerged in water, authorities said.
Flights to cities in Tamil Nadu have been disrupted, while the local fisheries department has issued warnings to fishers not to go out to sea, and to secure their boats and equipment. Fishers who are already out were asked to return to avoid being caught up in the potential cyclone.
Although the cyclone is said to likely weaken as it makes landfall, the Indian Navy and disaster response agencies said they’ve put various measures in place, including preparing cyclone shelters and relief camps stocked with food, water, medicines and other relief materials.
A recent report found that the state of Tamil Nadu faced 67 days of extreme weather events in 2024, a 131% increase from 29 such days in 2023.
Also feeling the pain of extreme weather is the U.K., where heavy rainfall and strong winds from Storm Bert, which struck on Nov. 23 morning, resulted in five deaths and caused power outages and transportation disruptions, CNN reported. Flight and train services were affected, and more than 500 homes and businesses were flooded in Wales and England.
“Storm Bert has caused a tragic loss of life and misery to families and businesses across the country,” Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of parliament’s public accounts committee, said in a statement. “Such devastating floods are becoming an annual feature of our national life. They are a symptom of our changing climate, and as such there is no excuse for the Government to not tighten its grip in tackling such a predictable risk.”
Storm Bert also impacted Ireland, resulting in power outages at 60,000 properties.
Another storm this week, Storm Conall, has prompted fresh flood warnings in the U.K. The BBC reported the storm is expected to intensify as it moves toward the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, from June to November, has ended after 18 named storms, five of which made landfall in the U.S.
Banner image of high river waters in Cardiff, Wales, by Sionk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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