Heavy thundershowers that began on Friday evening continued in most of the southern districts on Saturday, bringing the temperature down and ensuring a copious flow into the reservoirs.
The rain has brought relief to people affected by water scarcity and cheer to farmers readying their fields for cultivation.
Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram received 12 cm rainfall each during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. Saturday. Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district registered 10 cm, while Pamban in Ramanathapuram, Ambasamudram and Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli, and Rahapuram and Srivaikuntam in Tuticorin recorded 7 cm each. The Madurai airport received 1.5 cm.
Madurai, which received 1.5 cm till Saturday morning, received heavy rain till noon.
The waterfalls in the southern districts, major tourist attractions, were a sight to behold on Saturday owing to the substantial inflow.
In Kanyakumari district, the catchment of the Thiruparappu falls registered 7 cm and Kuzhithurai 6 cm. Rainfall in Tirunelveli district, which began in the early hours of Saturday, pushed up the flow in all waterfalls at Courtallam.
Officials have imposed a ban on tourists and visitors taking bath in the Manimuthar falls in Tirunelveli district. Tourists were allowed to bathe in safer spots.
In Theni, areas near the Vaigai dam and Manjalaru recorded a steady rain, resulting in an increase in the storage.
However, traffic on the Bodi-Munnar highway was not disrupted. The highway was temporarily closed after a landslip caused by torrential rains a few days ago.
According to the Chennai office of the Meteorological Department, rainfall recorded this month in the southern districts is as follows: Tiruneveli-16 cm; Tuticorin-15 cm; Ramanathapuram-14 cm; Sivaganga-13 cm; Madurai and Theni-10 cm each; Dindigul and Kanyakumari-9.5 cm each and Virudhunagar-7 cm.
In Chennai, the heavy rains since Friday came as a huge relief to the city facing a water shortage.
However, vehicular traffic was severely affected in many areas, dampening the spirit of Deepavali shoppers.
It was a virtual deluge particularly in low-level areas. But thanks to the efforts made by the Chennai Corporation, the main under-bridges were cleared of water with pumpsets.
