Heavy Rain Alert for Tamil Nadu Delta Districts, Puducherry Today
Image: DT Next (representative)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Puducherry and Karaikal on Tuesday, 20 October, according to the daily weather report of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai. The rain is being driven by an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the southwest Bay of Bengal off the north Tamil Nadu coast, and IMD’s all-India bulletin places Tamil Nadu under a heavy to very heavy rain warning through Wednesday.
Chennai on the Heavy Rain List Too
Heavy rain is also likely on Tuesday in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruchirappalli, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram, the RMC said. Chennai city can expect partly cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms in some areas, and temperatures between 25°C and 33°C. Thunderstorms with gusty winds of 40–50 kmph are forecast across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal all week. IMD’s agromet advice asks farmers to drain excess water from fields and hold back fertiliser and pesticide sprays during rain; commuters should expect waterlogging in low-lying roads.
Coimbatore Logged 18 cm in a Day
In the 24 hours to 8:30 am on Monday, Periyanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore district recorded 18 cm of rain, Karamadai 12 cm and the Coimbatore AWS 11 cm, RMC data show. Chennai has received 229.7 mm since 1 October, 110.3 mm above normal. The wet spell is welcome for the state’s reservoirs, which entered the season short of water, as IPB reported on Monday. Neighbouring states are also wet: see IMD’s forecast for coastal Andhra and south interior Karnataka.
Southern Districts Next in Line on Wednesday
On Wednesday, 21 October, the heaviest rain shifts south, with heavy to very heavy falls forecast in Theni, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari. IMD expects isolated heavy rain to continue over Tamil Nadu until at least 25 October. More updates are on IPB’s Weather Updates page.
Source: IMD Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai and IMD all-India bulletin. Also based on reporting by DT Next and Down To Earth.
Image: DT Next (representative).
