Heavy rain and winds have begun to pound the Indian city of Chennai, with a severe tropical cyclone expected to make landfall Monday. Tropical cyclone Vardah is packing winds of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) and is the first cyclone on the Bay of Bengal to reach hurricane force in 2016, according to CNN meteorologists. It could create a one
meter high storm surge as it makes landfall. Vardah is expected to bring extremely heavy rainfall to Chennai in the southeast state of Tamil Nadu and the state of Andhra Pradesh, added CNN meterologists. The cyclone is currently at category 1 strength, but is expected to weaken to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 80 to 90 kmph (50 to 56 mph) as it makes landfall. READ MORE
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