With no indication of the northeast monsoon reviving over the State, Chennai will experience dry weather for the next three or four days.
Christmas day is expected to be relatively warm due to the persistent moisture content in the air.
Murky skies and drizzle over the past two days gave some hope of rains in the city. The moisture in the air and cloud cover have however substantially reduced the chill and increased the minimum temperature, now hovering at 24.7 degree Celsius.
The weather observatory in Nungambakkam on Tuesday registered a minimum temperature of 24.7 degree Celsius, three degrees above normal, and the one in Meenambakkam recorded 22.9 degree Celsius, nearly two degree Celsius above normal for the area. The coldest day so far this season was December 20 when the minimum temperature dropped to 19.1 degree Celsius. The night temperature has dropped below 20 degree Celsius on three days this month.
Officials of the meteorological department said a weak low pressure area was expected to form over the Bay of Bengal after Christmas. However, there is no clear indicator that it may have any impact over the State, particularly in Chennai. Places in the southern region of the State, such as Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, may get rains.
“Usually, there are chances for a spillover of north east monsoon rains during January. We will have to wait for a few more days for the monsoon to revive,” said Y.E.A. Raj, deputy director general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai.
Chennai has so far received 109 cm of rainfall against its annual average of 140 cm. Suburbs are better placed with the weather observatory in Meenambakkam recording 125 cm against its annual normal of 138 cm.
The department forecasts light rain in some areas on Wednesday and a maximum temperature of around 31 degree Celsius till Thursday.
