Pictures: Water logging in parts of Chennai ahead of Cyclone Nivar's landfall

Vehicles ply on a waterlogged road during heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Nivar, in Chennai.

Water logging was witnessed in many parts of Chennai, due to heavy rainfall ahead of Cyclone Nivar's landfall.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the 'super cyclonic storm' Nivar is about 290 km east-southeast of Cuddalore.

"It is very likely to intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 12 hours. It is very likely to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts during mid-night of 25th and early hours of 26th November," IMD tweeted.

Meanwhile, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai said, "Cyclone Nivar lays 350 km SE of Chennai moving NW and likely to intensify into severe cyclonic storm and cross between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram today late evening or night. While crossing wind speed likely to touch 145 kmph."

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) senior commandant Rekha Nambiar held a discussion with Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister RB Udayakumar at State Disaster Management head office at Chepauk today.

In view of cyclonic storm Nivar, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting earlier on Tuesday through video conferencing with the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh and Secretaries of different ministries.

Gauba said that our aim should be to ensure that there is no loss of life, damage is minimum and normalcy is restored in power, telecom and other important sectors in the shortest possible time.

NDRF DG informed about the preparedness to meet the situation in next three days and said that 30 teams of NDRF have so far been deployed and 20 additional teams have been kept on standby for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.

Cyclone Nivar is likely to cross between Mamallapuram and Karaikal during midnight of Wednesday and early hours of November 26, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Earlier at 2.30 AM, Cyclone Nivar moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 6 kmph and lay centred in the southwest Bay of Bengal, said IMD.

Heavy rain is expected in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for two days from Wednesday, the weather office said. The cyclone will be intense enough to damage crops, plantations, trees, mud houses and communication and electric poles, the statement said, advising fishermen to suspend their operations in the region.

Nivar will likely strengthen to become equivalent to a category 2 hurricane before striking India on Wednesday night, Jason Nicholls, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather said in a Twitter post.

About 22 teams from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, while eight others were ready in reserve, according to S.N. Pradhan, director general of the agency. Another 20 teams are also on standby, it said.

Nivar is the third cyclone to hit Indian coasts since May, when storm Amphan, the biggest cyclone to hit South Asia in two decades, affected millions across the region and killed about 100 people. Cyclone Nisarga crossed the coast near Alibag in neighboring Raigad district in the state of Maharashtra in June.