The city’s tryst with the rain spell may be over by Wednesday as chances are the weather system over the Bay of Bengal won’t intensify into a depression.
The well-marked low pressure area lies over the southwest region of the bay and adjoining west central bay off the coast of north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh.
In what could be the last rain spell over the city this northeast monsoon, Chennai received a whopping 9 cm over 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. In the past four years, this is the highest rainfall recorded in the city in a single day during December. Officials of the meteorological department recalled that Chennai recorded 10 cm of rainfall on December 6, 2010.
Meenambakkam recorded 7 cm of rain till Tuesday morning.
However, the downpour that lashed the city on Monday subsided to a drizzle in several areas, with the weather system moving north-westwards.
Officials of the department said the movement would mean a fall in rain over the State, but more showers for Andhra Pradesh over the next few days. Chennai is expected to get rain or thundershowers on Wednesday.
While the current rain spell helped bring down the deficit for the season, Chennai is still short of 11 cm of rains to reach its annual average of 140 cm.
The department is mulling declaring the end of the northeast monsoon over the State in the next couple of days. Last year, the withdrawal of the monsoon was announced in mid-January.
“Only after the north-easterly winds change their pattern will we be able to declare the withdrawal of the monsoon. This year, the winds were not strong and this resulted in poor rainfall in interior districts,” an official said.
Wall collapsesThe compound wall of a BSNL store godown in Vyasar Nagar, Vyasarpadi, collapsed following the heavy overnight showers, the police said. No was injured in the incident.
