Vengal made landfall in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Saturday, recording the highest 24-hour rainfall in 30 years in nearby Puducherry district, before retreating to a normal low-pressure weather system by Monday morning.
More deaths were reported in Sri Lanka after the Fingal region besieged the island nation on Friday, bringing heavy rains that triggered landslides.
Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Agency said that 17 people died in the country, while about 470,000 others took refuge in temporary relief camps.
India recorded three deaths due to electrocution as a result of the storm, Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Minister KKS R Ramachandran told reporters late on Saturday.
He did not provide further details about the cause of the deaths, adding that the damage caused by the hurricane was “minimal.”
Local media reports said on Monday that the Indian disaster agency was also trying to rescue a family of seven in the state, which was feared to be trapped by a landslide.
Roads were flooded and schools were closed in parts of southern India, and meteorological officials warned Monday of the continued risk of flash floods.
Puducherry, a former French colony on India’s southern coast, saw its highest 24-hour rainfall in 30 years after Fingal made landfall nearby, the India Meteorological Department said.
Hurricanes—the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or hurricanes in the Pacific Northwest—are a regular and deadly threat in the northern Indian Ocean.
But scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.
Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, providing additional energy for storms, leading to stronger winds.
The warm weather also allows it to retain more water, which increases rainfall.
But better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning resulted in the death toll being significantly reduced.