Weather alert: Heavy rain disrupts life in Tamil Nadu, warnings issued for 12 districts

Chennai: Widespread heavy rain continued to batter large parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, on Wednesday, disrupting normal life and prompting the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, to issue alerts for 12 districts across the state.

The RMC has forecast heavy rainfall in hilly and coastal regions, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds in parts of the southern and western districts. Districts expected to receive heavy to very heavy rain include Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari.

The RMC attributed the rainfall to strong moisture-laden easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal interacting with upper-level trough systems over the southern peninsula.

In Chennai, rain that began early in the morning has continued intermittently, leaving several areas waterlogged. The sky is expected to remain partly cloudy, with moderate to heavy showers possible during the evening, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The city’s maximum temperature is likely to hover around 32°C, while the minimum may remain between 26°C and 27°C.

Officials said District Collectors will decide on school and college closures in southern and western districts depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Despite persistent rainfall in Chennai and Chengalpattu, no official announcements of closures had been made by evening.

The Meteorological Department also issued warnings to fishermen, advising them to stay ashore. Strong winds of 35–45 km/h, occasionally reaching 55 km/h, are expected over the Gulf of Mannar, Kanyakumari coast, Kerala coast, adjoining southeast Arabian Sea, and the Lakshadweep–Maldives area, with rough sea conditions prevailing.

Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid flooded roads, and follow advisories issued by local administrations and disaster management teams.

IANS