After torrential rain caused extensive flooding, most parts of Tamil Nadu can now heave a sigh of relief as heavy rain may subside for four or five days.
A trough from the cyclonic circulation over south Arabian Sea, extending up to the Comorin area, may bring thunderstorms, with light to moderate rain, over isolated places in coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on Wednesday. Interior districts too may receive light rain in one or two places.
Such scattered light to moderate rain may continue in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till the weekend, said officials of the Meteorological Department. During the past 24 hours, ending 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, Veerapandi in Theni recorded 12 cm of rain — the highest in the State during the period.
There are two weather systems persisting over the south Andaman Sea and the Arabian Sea. However, the Meteorological Department has said that both the systems may not have a direct impact on the State. The system over the Andaman Sea, which may become a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal around December 3, is likely to reach the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast by Saturday. A low-pressure area will form over the Arabian Sea, off the Maharashtra coast, by Wednesday.
S. Balachandran, deputy director general of meteorology, Chennai, said if a trough extends from the cyclonic storm, there may be some variations in the minimum temperature. “We are monitoring the weather systems for their impact. Tamil Nadu may only see a few spells of light to moderate rain. Chennai too may experience light to moderate rain in some areas till Thursday.”
Back-to-back weather systems in November have brought abundant rainfall over the State. Tamil Nadu has already received 65.1 cm — 83% in excess than its seasonal average of 35.6 cm — since October 1. Most districts have either received excess or largely excess rain this monsoon, except for Madurai.
This November turned out to be one of the wettest Novembers that Chennai has experienced since 1918. With rainfall recorded almost every day this November, Nungambakkam in Chennai has recorded nearly 104.4 cm of monthly rainfall. Chennai had earlier recorded 104.9 cm of rain in November 2015, and the all-time record for November still remains 108.8 cm in 1918.
