Chennai and several other parts of Tamil Nadu experienced heavy rainfall late on Tuesday night, marking the second consecutive day of intense weather conditions. The heavy rain and strong gusts the previous night left several low-lying areas waterlogged across the state.
On Monday night, thunderstorms and heavy winds uprooted trees in areas like Kodambakkam, prompting corporation staff to clear the roads on Tuesday. The adverse weather conditions also caused delays for several international and domestic flights, according to airport officials. Weather blogger Pradeep John noted that the slow-moving rainfall bands contributed to the substantial rainfall.
Most of the rain fell between 1 am and 4 am on Tuesday, with massive thunderstorms and strong winds waking many Chennai residents early. Social media was flooded with videos of the intense rain, with some users likening the conditions to a cyclonic storm. Despite the inconvenience, the rain provided much-needed relief from the sweltering heat for the city’s residents.
In addition to Chennai, parts of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Krishnagiri also received heavy rain on Monday night. The Regional Meteorological Centre reported that Sholinganallur received the highest rainfall at 12 cm, followed by Poonamallee at 11 cm. Other areas, including Chembarambakkam, Pallikaranai, Meenambakkam, Alandur, and Avadi, recorded 7 cm of rainfall.
On Tuesday night, Pradeep John tweeted that the KTCC region might experience strong gusts and intense rain for the second consecutive day. “Thunderstorms and rains picked up intensity by 10 pm on Tuesday. Several areas have reported heavy downpour with a rainfall rate of 15 cm per hour,” he said.
John also forecasted significant rainfall for Pudukkottai, Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Vellore, Sivagangai, Salem, and Tirupattur. Additionally, he predicted that the monsoon would become more active in Kerala, Karnataka, Cauvery catchment areas, Valparai, Nilgiris, and Kanniyakumari. According to Skymet, light to moderate rain is expected over Konkan and Goa, Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, with light rain likely over Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Rayalaseema, and interior Karnataka.
