Chennai, Nov 26 (IANS): The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar was expected to begin landfall close to Puducherry coast late on Wednesday night, the India Meteorological Department said.

In its bulletin issued at 9.30 p.m., the IMD said the cyclone Nivar is to cross the coast close to Puducherry around midnight with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph gusting at 145 kmph.

According to the weather department, the landfall process was expected to begin in an hour's time.

The cyclone was centered 60 km east of Cuddalore, 55 km southeast of Puducherry and 130 km southeast of Chennai.

The cyclone, moving at a speed of 16 kmph for the past six hours, is being monitored by the Doppler Weather Radars at Chennai, Karaikal and Sriharikota.

Even after landfall, the system is likely to maintain its cyclone intensity for about six hours and then weaken gradually.

Under its influence, rainfall at most/many places, with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls, is likely to occur over Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu and Chittoor, Kurnool, Prakasam and Cuddappa districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Gale wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph very likely to prevail over interior districts of Tamil Nadu and Chittoor from early morning to forenoon on Thursday, the Met Department said.

The Puducherry government too has announced Thursday as public holiday.