Authorities in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have been put on alert as the weather office predicts that a cyclone will hit the two states on Monday.
There have been heavy rains in parts of the two states, and the cyclone is likely to make landfall along the city of Chennai on Monday afternoon.
Schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu are shut, and rescue teams are on standby.
Fishermen in both states have also been warned not to venture out to sea.
India's weather office says that Cyclone Vardah, emanating from the Bay of Bengal, is likely to make landfall "along and off" the city of Chennai with wind speeds of 100kmph (62 mph).
How cyclones get their names
Coastal areas of both the states are expected to experience extremely heavy rainfall - the city of Chennai has already been lashed by rains.
The cyclone comes a little after a year since Chennai experienced devastating floods which killed 70 people.