City residents may have to brace themselves for hot weather over the coming days.
The meteorological department has predicted a rise in daytime temperatures in Chennai and the suburbs till Saturday.
The cloud cover that extended over the city and its peripheral areas over the past two days helped control soaring temperatures.
Officials of the meteorological department said thundershowers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and some parts of Tamil Nadu, close to the Western Ghats, had impacted the clouding over the city.
There is a possibility of thundershowers in the city too on Friday evening or night. “We are tracking cloud development, formed 150 km away from the city, near Tiruttani. Chennai may see thunderstorms if the clouds move towards the city. This is usual activity that follows a period of intense heat,” said an official.
On Thursday, the weather observatories in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 35.5 degrees Celsius and 36.1 degrees Celsius, one degree above the normal temperature.
J. Babu, a resident of Kilpauk, said, “I managed to ride a short distance on Thursday as the heat was slightly bearable. But, travelling in the afternoon hours is becoming difficult.”
S.R. Ramanan, director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said the cloud cover over the city had brought down daytime temperatures a little, during the day. But, nights will continue to be warm over the next few days.
Last year, the maximum temperature touched 37.4 degrees Celsius on April 17. This year, day temperatures soared to 36.6 degrees Celsius on April 1.
“We are checking if the clouding will bring thundershowers to the city and give a respite from rising temperatures,” said Mr. Ramanan.
The department forecasts the maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 36 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius till Saturday.
