Chennai, Oct 24:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for five districts in Tamil Nadu on Saturday warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places amid an active northeast monsoon. The districts are Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, the Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Theni.
According to the weather department, these districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. The continuing rainfall activity is attributed to the prevailing monsoon conditions and a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal that is expected to intensify in the coming days.
A heavy rainfall warning has also been issued for several other districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchy, Madurai, Dindigul, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Tiruppur, Thanjavur, Cuddalore and Thoothukudi. Puducherry and Karaikal are also likely to receive heavy rain in isolated places.
The IMD has forecast moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds across most parts of Tamil Nadu.