Overnight rain disrupts traffic; wet spells to continue in Chennai

CHENNAI: Rain lashed Chennai in the wee hours on Wednesday, leading to waterlogging in several areas in the city. In addition, the ongoing stormwater drain (SWD) works resulted in traffic congestion for office goers and school, college students.

The Regional Meteorological Center (RMC) forecast rain is likely to continue in Coastal, Western Ghats, and adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu.

According to RMC, Chennai Nungambakkam station recorded 48.2 mm rainfall, YMCA Nandanam 12 mm, Ennore 8 mm, Villivakkam 7.5 mm, Taramani 4.5 mm, and Meenambakkam 2.7 mm. Several areas, including Broadway, Thiruvottriyur, Kelly's and Ekkatuthangal road were waterlogged. Vehicular traffic moved at a slow pace due to the damaged road on Wednesday morning.

"Recently, the SWD work has become a nightmare for motorists, which is ongoing for a long time, especially during rainy days. When the road is pooled, it is difficult to identify the drainage work, which also overflows with rainwater. It is dangerous to ride at nights, because if we don't notice the drains we might fall," said S Bharathi, a motorist at Georgetown.

Due to strong westerly wind, the city experienced moderate rain for the past three days in the night hours. It is likely to continue for the next four days. "A few areas in the city are expected to receive heavy spells in the night time. And there will be a dip in the temperature for the next few days. Also, the cyclonic circulation formed near the coastal region is one of the reasons for the rain in Tamil Nadu,” said P Senthamarai Kannan, Scientist E, RMC, Chennai.

At least 21 districts of Tamil Nadu - the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, Tirupur, Erode, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Tirupattur, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Namakkal, Tiruchy, Ariyalur, and Perambalur are likely to get heavy rain for the next two days.

A weather blogger stated, "A combination of favorable factors over the next week to 10 days is likely to bring enhanced rains and thunderstorms over the interior districts due to the strong westerlies. And heavy rain lashed the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, whereas southern parts mostly missed to experience the weather.”