As the extended weekend helped do away with Monday blues for many residents, cool weather set the tone for a more pleasant day.
Overnight thundershowers in and around the city and a murky sky had brought down the temperature considerably. Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 32.8 degree Celsius and 33.4 degree Celsius, about two degrees below normal, respectively. However, both the observatories recorded only a trace of rainfall during the day.
The deserted roads and the congenial weather made driving hassle-free for motorists. “It was a relaxed ride from Periamet to Kilpauk in the afternoon. Usually, it is a dusty and congested ride to work,” said C. Sathish, a resident of Periamet.
Commuters also enjoyed travelling on MTC buses that saw smaller crowds. “It was quite breezy in the evening and I opted to travel in a nearly empty MTC bus rather than a share autorickshaw,” said D. Sharmila, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Officials of the meteorological department said several weather stations around the city recorded good rainfall during the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Monday. Kancheepuram recorded the highest amount of rainfall of 7 cm. While Sriperumbudur and Cholavaram received 4 cm, Chembarambakkam, Red Hills and Meenambakkam registered 2 cm.
Other places like Nungambakkam and Mahabalipuram recorded one cm of rains.
“We expect places in Chennai and neighbouring districts to get moderate to heavy rains till Wednesday,” said an official.
Since June 1, Chennai has received nearly 44 cm of rainfall, which is 9 cm more than the average received during this season. Meenambakkam too has recorded plenty of rainfall with nearly 52 cm, about 13 cm in excess of the normal.
August and September are the wettest months during the southwest monsoon season. In September, on an average, Chennai receives rains for a minimum of seven days.
Sunday’s low pressure area had moved over west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal Andhra Pradesh. This is expected to bring isolated heavy rainfall over north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till Wednesday. Residents may expect rain or thundershowers in some areas during the evenings or nights.
The maximum temperature till Wednesday will be around 32 degree Celsius.
