Chennai: On Thursday morning, Chennai experienced clear skies, while several southern districts of Tamil Nadu continued to receive rainfall.
The Regional Meteorological Centre has forecasted light to moderate rainfall in isolated places across Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli until 1 pm.
However, heavier downpours are expected later in the day. Theni, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rain, while isolated places in Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, and the Nilgiris may also see heavy rainfall.
In the last 24 hours, Cuddalore recorded the highest rainfall at 20 cm, followed by Villupuram and Kanyakumari, which received 17 cm and 14 cm, respectively. Other districts including Erode, Salem, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, and Tiruppur reported at least 10 cm of rainfall. Chennai, on the other hand, recorded a modest 1 cm of rainfall.
Meanwhile, a low-pressure area over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, which formed on Wednesday, has been moving northeastwards. The Regional Meteorological Centre indicated that this low-pressure area is expected to intensify into a depression over the central parts of the Bay of Bengal by Friday morning. It is likely to continue moving northeastwards, potentially intensifying further and reaching the northeast and adjoining northwest regions of the Bay of Bengal by Saturday evening.
The weather developments call for caution among residents in the affected districts, particularly in the southern regions where heavy rainfall is anticipated. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely and have advised people to stay alert and take necessary precautions.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department on Wednesday issued a red alert in five districts of Kerala predicting extremely heavy rainfall. The red alert was sounded in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad continue to be on orange alert, while Kannur and Kasaragod remain on yellow alert, the IMD said.