After days of speculation on social media, especially on Twitter and WhatsApp, on the timing of northeast monsoon’s arrival, the weatherman confirmed that it would commence on Wednesday.
According to officials at the Regional Meteorological Department, Chennai, the city “may experience heavy rains with thundershowers on Wednesday.
The news has come as a welcome relief to residents who have been struggling due to depleting groundwater resources as well as the rapid decline in storage levels at the city’s principal reservoirs supplying drinking water.
“Conditions remain favourable for the commencement of the northeast monsoon,” officials at the city’s weather office added. According to them, there is a low pressure area in southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka coast. This will result in heavy rains on coastal areas including Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu and also Puducherry.
In Chennai, the sky will be generally cloudy.
Maximum and minimum temperature in the city on Wednesday will around 32 and 25 degree Celsius respectively.
Unlike last year, the northeast monsoon is delayed by at least eight days this year, the officials said.
Normally, the monsoon sets in around October 20. The delay has been attributed to a typhoon in Philippines that created a landfall, which changed the wind pattern around Andaman Islands that usually pushes moisture to the Tamil Nadu coast.
However, they said that despite its delayed start, the northeast monsoon, which extends from October to December every year, is likely to be normal this year.
