Chennai is on its way to have the wettest November of the century and break an all-time rainfall record.
With Monday’s torrential downpour bringing 93 mm of rainfall, Chennai has crossed 1,025 mm of rainfall for the month. According to the Meteorological Department, November 1918 was the wettest month as the city received 1088.4 mm of rainfall then.
The weather station in Meenambakkam has already recorded 1144.8 mm this November. Officials recall that Chennai recorded 970 mm of rainfall in November 1985 and 1077.1 mm in October 2005. The remaining few days of this month will decide whether the city gets to break the century’s record.
The rains so far have been severe with many rain-related deaths, including the electrocution of a couple in Velachery, death of a youngster in a wall collapse in Pattalam and the fatal fall of a man in a trench dug up in R.A. Puram to drain stagnant rainwater. Schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts will remain closed on Wednesday. As reservoirs continue to get heavy inflows, city waterways are carrying rainwater to their brim. The Adyar River is in a spate as about 6,000 cusecs is being let out from the Chembarambakkam reservoir.
Central team visitIn a bid to provide flood relief assistance, a nine-member Central team will visit flood-affected areas in Tamil Nadu on November 26 to assess the damage.
At present, a new trough lies over southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Sri Lanka coast. With another upper air circulation forming near the weather system, the Meteorological Department expects it to influence the formation of a low pressure area by November 26 or November 27.
