Chennai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Chennai on Sunday, warning of extremely heavy rainfall as a vigorous North East Monsoon grips Tamil Nadu.

 

Meteorological officials predict that localised areas within the Chennai metropolitan region could experience intense downpours recording precipitation levels over 20 centimetres. While widespread light to moderate rainfall is expected across the city, isolated areas are braced for heavy to very heavy precipitation throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay visited the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) headquarters at Ripon Building to inspect its monsoon war room, the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), and review real-time emergency response measures across the city.

The Regional Meteorological Centre noted that the North East Monsoon activity has intensified remarkably, with active wet spells anticipated to persist over the next few days.

Beside Chennai, heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecasted at one or two places in neighbouring coastal and northern districts including Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu, as well as western districts such as Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and Theni. Furthermore, interior districts of Tamil Nadu are expected to receive heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours.

Local authorities have advised residents to exercise extreme caution, avoid unnecessary travel and take necessary precautions against potential localised waterlogging and traffic disruptions as weather agencies continuously monitor the situation.