Chennai: When Chennaiites thought that this December will be predominantly dry as there was no sign of rain for the past couple of weeks, showers made a surprise return yesterday afternoon drenching the city for hours.
The same was the case this morning as intense showers crippled traffic during peak time. The Met department said the sudden rain was due to a trough over Bay of Bengal and added that a new low pressure was also in the making.
An official said, “Yesterday’s trough over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining Andaman sea now lies over southwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood. Also, a low pressure area is likely to form over equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal Thursday. In the wake of this, heavy rain will subside tomorrow but return Thursday with intense spells at isolated places over south coastal Tamilnadu.”
“In the last 24 hours, Ponneri recorded a maximum rainfall of 13 cm followed by Cholavaram which recorded 8 cm,” said the official.
Though heavy rain lashed Chennai, there wasn’t any significant reduction in overall temperatures. The city’s maximum and minimum temperatures remained at 31.1 and 23.4 degrees Celsius.
Holiday was declared for schools in Pudukottai and Karaikal districts today. Also, schools in Nagapattinam district, acting as relief camps, also remain closed today.
Photos: A R Jayakumar and R Thiyagarajan