‘Very severe’ cyclonic storm Nivar made landfall near Puducherry in the early hours of Thursday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. It brought heavy rains to the union territory and neighbouring state Tamil Nadu, as per PTI report.

The ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm, however, weakened into a ‘severe’ cyclonic storm after crossing the coast near Puducherry, as per IMD report.

“The Cyclone ‘NIVAR’ crossed Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts near Puducherry (Near Lat. 12.1°N and Long. 79.9°) during 2330 IST of 25th Nov to 0230 IST of 26th Nov. As a very severe cyclonic storm with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph,” IMD tweeted.

“Very severe cyclonic Storm NIVAR: weakens into a Severe Cyclonic Storm,” it said in another tweet.

Also read: Cyclone Nivar Live Updates: Cyclonic storm makes landfall near Puducherry

Earlier, the IMD had said Nivar will cross the coast near Puducherry with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph, gusting up to 145 kmph. The landfall of Nivar began late on Wednesday night.

“The storm now lies inside the land area. There will, however, be rainfall and strong winds as well,” Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, Chennai, S Balachandran told PTI.

Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar said about 2.5 lakh people were housed in cyclone shelters in the state as part of safety measures.

“According to the inputs received so far, crops and groves are safe in the state,” he said.