Cyclone Fengal weakened on Sunday, a day after making landfall near Puducherry, however, torrential rain under its influence pounded the union territory, which logged the highest rainfall in three decades, prompting the deployment of Army and the NDRF to evacuate stranded people from inundated streets.

All schools and colleges were closed for today in Puducherry and parts of Tamil Nadu as heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Fengal continued in those places. The cyclone weakened into a deep depression.

"Now the cyclone had crossed so actually our focus is now shifted to restoration of whatever the damage has been done. There were heavy rainfalls until now. In some areas, 56 centimeter rainfall has taken place from yesterday morning at 8.

Puducherry bore the brunt of Cyclone Fengal’s fury, recording 490 mm of rainfall by Sunday morning — the UT’s highest 24-hour total in three decades.

Cyclonic storm Fengal has commenced making landfall close to Puducherry and it may approximately take 4 hours for it to cross the coast completely.

The India Meteorological Department has retained its red alert for the third day for intense downpours in Tamil Nadu, Kariakal, and Puducherry.