Cyclone Fengal: Bengaluru braces for rain; orange alert issued

Cyclone Fengal is set to make landfall along the North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, on Saturday afternoon. Its impact will extend to Karnataka, with Bengaluru and southern interior districts expected to receive rainfall over the next two days, The Indian Express reported.
According to the report, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) issued an orange alert for southern interior districts, warning of moderate to heavy rainfall.
As per latest updates, Cyclone Fengal is moving west-northwestward over the Southwest Bay of Bengal and is expected to hit the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast with wind speeds of 70-80 kmph and gusts reaching up to 90 kmph.
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Bengaluru is forecast to experience very light rainfall over the next 24 hours. Temperatures will remain cool, with an average of 20.6°C. Sunday’s high is predicted to be 24.6°C, while the minimum temperature will hover around 19.9°C, the report added.
Over the past few days, minimum temperatures in Bengaluru’s urban and rural areas have hovered between 16°C and 19°C, marking an early onset of winter. The usual winter season in Bengaluru begins in December and lasts until early February. However, this year, the cold weather has arrived ahead of schedule and is expected to be more severe than normal
Cyclonic conditions are expected to trigger widespread moderate rainfall with thundershowers across Karnataka’s southern interior districts on Saturday. Heavy rainfall is forecast for Sunday and Monday in these areas.
Coastal and Malnad districts, including Uttara Kannada, Chikmagalur, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Shimoga, Chamarajanagar, and Belagavi, will likely experience heavy rainfall with thundershowers from Sunday to Tuesday. Meanwhile, north interior districts will see moderate rainfall.
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