A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal that has intensified into Cyclonic Storm Mandous will likely cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry by December 9 midnight, the weather department said Thursday.

“CS Mandous over SW BoB about 500km ESE of Karaikal. To move WNW and cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south AP coast bw Puducherry and Sriharikota with a wind speed of 70 kmph around midnight of 09 Dec,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) tweeted around Thursday noon. The IMD also issued a yellow alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

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Storm warning cage no. 2 has been mounted at Pamban Port of Rameshwaram island to warn fishermen of the upcoming storm and deter them from venturing out into the sea.

The MeT has already warned the fishermen not to venture into the rough seas for three days.

Heavy rain is expected along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coastline along with Puducherry over the next few days, it said.

The depression intensified into cyclonic storm Mandous at around 11.30 pm on Wednesday and was positioned at around 640 km southwest of the Chennai coast and about 370 km east-northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and 500 km east of Jaffna.

“Deep Depression over Southwest and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a Cyclonic Storm “Mandous” pronounced as “Man-Dous” (Cyclone Alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts): Yellow Message,” the IMD said in a tweet at 3.12 am on Thursday.

Earlier, the IMD predicted that the deep depression over the southwest and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm and reach the southwest Bay of Bengal, north Tamil Nadu Puducherry and adjoining South Andhra Pradesh coast by Thursday morning.