Chennai, reeling under the sweltering heat, got a marginal respite on Tuesday as the temperature dropped by almost two degrees Celsius. While the city’s suburbs received light rain on Tuesday evening, gusty winds kicked up dust on city roads.
Officials of the Meteorological Department noted that a weak cyclonic circulation in Andhra Pradesh had supported the development of convective cells over the city. Parts of Rayalaseema and Tirupati were predicted to get heavy rain.
P. Senthamarai Kannan, Director, of Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai, said districts, including Kancheepuram and Chennai, experienced the impact of convective activity. Strong winds were part of the developing thunderstorms.
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While Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded very light rain, areas around the city, including Poonamallee (2 cm) and Chembarambakkam (1 cm) received light rain till 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Localities like Villivakkam, West Tambaram and Puzhal in Chennai and Vellore, Kodaikanal, Valparai and Tiruttani also experienced wet weather.
The thunderstorms provided an escape from blistering heat as the mercury level stayed close to normal in many districts. The weather stations in Nungambakkam recorded 36.1 degrees Celsius, which is 1.8 degrees Celsius lower than normal, and the one in Meenambakkam registered 38.6 degrees Celsius. The day temperature peaked at a maximum of 39.4 degrees Celsius at Vellore on Tuesday.
Rain forecast
The Meteorological Department predicted heavy rain is likely to occur at one or two places over the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri, Salem and Erode districts on Wednesday. Chennai has a chance of light rain in some areas and maximum temperature is likely to be 38-39 degrees Celsius.
