Chennai city and its suburbs have been experiencing widespread rainfall since Tuesday morning and are under a yellow alert for Wednesday, with the IMD predicting light to moderate rains, occasionally heavy, until Thursday (November 28).
According to the district administration, schools and colleges in Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, will remain closed on Wednesday due to the ongoing rainfall.
District Collector Pradeep Kumar confirmed the closure in light of the continuous rain.
Additionally, authorities have declared a holiday for schools and colleges in other districts, including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Tiruvarur, in anticipation of heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai said that the depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into a deep depression and is expected to strengthen further into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday.
“Yesterday’s depression will intensify into a deep depression… It is likely to further intensify into a cyclonic storm and move towards the north direction, towards the Tamil Nadu coast,” said S. Balachandran, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai.
The IMD also stated that on Wednesday, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu and the Karaikal area will experience heavy to very heavy rain in some places, with extremely heavy rain in a few areas.
Isolated locations in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villuppuram, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry may also experience heavy to very heavy rain, while heavy rain is expected in isolated places over Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Perambalur, Tiruchirappalli, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Rayalaseema.
The IMD has issued flash flood warnings for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, with moderate to high flash flood threats expected in Madurai, Perambalur, Salem, Teni, and Virudhunagar districts. High flash flood risks are anticipated in Karaikal, Puducherry, Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Karur, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Nilgiri, Perambalur, Salem, Sivaganga, Teni, Thiruvarur, Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Tuticorin, Villupuram, and Virudhunagar districts.
IndiGo Airlines has issued a travel advisory, informing passengers of disruptions to flights from Chennai, Tuticorin, and Madurai due to the adverse weather.
The airline also expressed hope for a swift recovery and thanked passengers for their understanding. “#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to adverse weather conditions, flights to/from #Chennai, #Tuticorin, and #Madurai continue to be impacted, while #Tiruchirappalli and #Salem might now also be affected,” the airline posted on X.