The much-awaited northeast monsoon has set in over the State on Friday, with several districts across the State registering considerable rainfall.
The rain for the past three days over Tamil Nadu has exceeded the average rainfall for the period by 10 per cent. The State has so far received 11 cm of rain against the average of 10 cm experienced during this time. Marakkanam registered 12 cm, which is the highest recorded in weather stations across the State during the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Friday. Kalpakkam in Kancheepuram district was second with 11 cm and Cuddalore 8 cm.
This year, the monsoon has arrived a tad earlier than the normal date of October 20. Last year, the onset was on October 25. The monsoon set in only on October 29 during the previous two years.
Y.E.A. Raj, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said that normally Tamil Nadu receives 43 cm of rainfall during the northeast monsoon that lasts till mid-December. This is the main rainy season for the State as it accounts for 48 per cent of the annual rainfall.
Though it has been a good start for the season, districts such as Tiruvallur, Karur and Salem are yet get sufficient rainfall. Four or five districts are still deficit as the current spell is mostly confined to coastal districts, he said.
However, the rainfall is expected to intensify in the coming days and spread over to interior areas. The department forecasts that isolated heavy to very heavy rain would occur over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next two days. Interior parts of the State are likely to experience isolated heavy rain during the same period.
