After a weak start on Wednesday, the northeast monsoon on Thursday brought intense thunderstorms over Chennai and its neighbourhood and triggered widespread heavy rainfall that continued well into the morning.
Chennai woke up to a typical monsoon day with overcast skies and intermittent rain that led to waterlogging in some areas.
The Meteorological Department has forecast that the rain over the city and neighbouring districts will continue for next three hours.
Many weather stations in and around Chennai recorded heavy rainfall as thunderstorms pounded throughout Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday.
Trees and electric poles in parts of Chennai were affected in Thursday’s rain. Photograph from P.T. Rajan Salai in K.K. Nagar, Chennai
Nungambakkam registered nearly 13 cm of rain till 8.30 a.m. on Thursday. Many other weather stations in Anna University (13.4 cm), Ennore (8 cm), Red Hills ( 13 cm), Satyabama University (6 cm) and Meenambakkam (5 cm) recorded moderate to heavy rain.
S. Balachandran, Deputy Director of Meteorology, Chennai, said an upper air circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal off north Tamil Nadu coast had influenced intense thunderstorms accompanied by lightning. The moist northeasterly winds that penetrated the coastal areas too triggered rain. Such intense rain with loud thunder and lightning is possible during the monsoon.
Chennai will continue to experience rainfall for the next few days, he added.
