Moderate Rainfall In Chennai, Heavy Showers Likely In Rest Of Tamil Nadu

After a extremely wet spell on Tuesday, heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Tamil Nadu while Chennai is expected to receive moderate rainfall over the next few days, say weather experts.

Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur in Cuddalore, Villupuram districts. Heavy rain likely at Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Theni, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).

Meanwhile, Chennai is expected to see less intense showers over the next few days as the north east monsoon draws to an end. With the recent spate, Chennai has reached the fourth-highest daily rainfall recorded in Nungambakkam, say weather experts.

According to data from the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, Kelambakkam recorded 21 cm of rain on January 6, while Anna University and Tambaram recorded 16 cm of rainfall. Other rainfall gauges in the city recorded between 15 to 6 cm of rainfall.

Weather blogger Pradeep John, who runs the page Tamil Nadu Weatherman, said that this downpour marked the fourth-highest amount of rainfall in 24 hours in January in over 150 years, with Nungambakkam receiving 82 mm of rainfall as on January 6. The highest, recorded on January 15, 1915, was 212.9 mm.

As official rain readings are cut off on 8.30 am, January 5 saw only 63 mm of rainfall at Nungambakkam, but this is also the eighth-highest daily rainfall levels in January, according to the blogger. Considering the downpour from 8.30 am, Chennai received approximately 145 mm of rainfall on January 5.

Moderate rains are expected to continue in Chennai. “The easterly winds easily moves into Tamil Nadu interiors today and at the same time coastal convergence will also be observed in North Tamil Nadu coast.  So Chennai (KTC) to Delta region again has chance of receiving rainfall, but not as heavy as lon January 5. The action will shift in the interiors and districts close to Western Ghats like Dindigul, Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Nilgiris belt,” said John.