Chennaiites woke up to clement weather on Saturday, as overnight rain in several parts of the city brought down the maximum temperature. The trend may continue for two days, according to the Meteorological Department.
While Vellore topped the chart in Tamil Nadu with 17 cm of rainfall during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday, several places in and around Chennai, including Sriperumbudur (6 cm), Poonamallee (5 cm), Chembarambakkam, Cholavaram and Meenambakkam (3 cm) and Red Hills and Nungambakkam (2 cm) received widespread rainfall.
Cyclonic circulation
Officials of the Meteorological Department said a cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal, off the north Tamil Nadu coast, between 3.1 and 4.5 km above mean sea level, triggered the showers in many districts of the State.
Weather stations in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 31.2 degrees Celsius and 30.1 degrees Celsius respectively. N. Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai, said several districts would continue to receive rainfall on Sunday, and there may be heavy rainfall in one or two places. However, the system may dissipate by Monday.
But several places may witness thundershowers from Monday due to convective activity. The Meteorological Department has forecast a generally cloudy sky and the possibility of light showers in Chennai till Monday. The maximum temperature will be around 34 degrees Celsius.