Chennai: Continuous heavy downpours have severely disrupted normal life across several parts of Tamil Nadu, leading to flooded residential areas, damaged infrastructure, and long power outages. The meteorological department, however, has forecast a reduction in rainfall intensity over the next two days, with showers largely limited to the Western Ghats region and southern districts.

The severe weather caused widespread disruption across multiple districts:

  • Tirupattur: Key roads in the Vayampattu area were left completely submerged, forcing motorists to navigate deep waterlogged stretches and causing major transit delays.

  • Sivaganga: Urban localities faced heavy rainfall alongside a massive power outage lasting over 10 hours, severely inconveniencing local residents.

  • Coimbatore: Torrential rains battered Puliyamarathupalayam, Sulur, and Varapatti. In Puliyamarathupalayam, a tar road was washed away and badly damaged, restricting accessibility.

  • Mayiladuthurai: Schoolchildren in the Tharangambadi area had to travel through heavy downpours, with many arriving at school completely drenched.

  • Dindigul (Kodaikanal): Heavy rain led to a dramatic rise in water levels at the famous Silver Cascade waterfall. Inundation was reported in the Thoppikanal area, where rainwater entered several homes and threw daily life out of gear.

  • The Nilgiris: Army personnel were deployed on a hill road leading to Udhagamandalam (Ooty) to clear debris and repair damage caused by a landslide, working continuously to restore vehicular movement.

Cyclone warning & weather forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning regarding a cyclone over the west-central Bay of Bengal, which is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm. It is likely to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam.

For Tamil Nadu, light to moderate rainfall is expected at isolated places across the Western Ghats and southern districts on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the rest of the state will witness predominantly dry weather. Chennai is likely to remain partly cloudy, with a chance of light to moderate rain in a few areas. (IANS)