Following a let-up, showers resumed Chennai and nearby regions while the low pressure area turned well marked on Wednesday, the Meteorological Department said.
It is likely to become a depression and cross north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast on November 11 evening, the department said.
The weather system is likely to bring widespread rainfall in Tamil Nadu for the next three to four days.
The rainfall is expected to be scattered, heavy, very heavy and extremely heavy in specific regions and light to moderate in most other places.
On November 11, "thunderstorm with scattered heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rain is likely to occur over Tiruvallur, Kallakurichi, Salem, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts of Tamil Nadu" the department said.
Heavy rain is also likely in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Namakkal, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai and Puducherry.
From November 12 to 14, rainfall is likely in several regions of Tamil Nadu. Thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.
Watch | Chennai experiences heaviest rainfall in 5 years
Here are the latest updates:
Rains claim 12 lives
As many as 12 people have lost their lives due to heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran has said.
11 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 7 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are deployed in the state as of now, added the minister.
Towards a safe place
Fearing heavy rains, people are thronging railway stations to leave for their hometowns from Chennai.
Heavy rain in Sri Lanka leaves 16 dead, thousands displaced
At least 16 people have died in floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka following more than a week of heavy rain, officials said Wednesday.
The disaster management centre said more than 5,000 people have been displaced from their homes and have taken shelter in relatives' homes or government-run relief centres.
Most deaths have occurred due to drowning and lightening strikes. At least one person is reported missing. - AP
Child dies in wall collapse, aged woman electrocuted
In separate rain-related casualties on Wednesday, a four-year-old girl child succumbed to injuries caused by wall collapse in Thanjavur district, and an aged woman was electrocuted in Tiruchi district.
The wall collapse incident in Thanjavur district was reported at Theynampadugai village in Patteswaram police station limits. Police gave the name of the deceased child as G. Ananya. The child and her parents were sleeping in the rear portion of their house when the mud wall suddenly collapsed in the early hours due to heavy rains. The injured child was rushed to the Government Hospital at Kumbakonam and succumbed soon after. The Patteswaram Police are investigating.
The incident in Tiruchi district was reported at Koppu village on the outskirts of the city in the early hours. Police said P. Vasantha (66), a banana seller, went out of her house when she accidentally stamped on a live electric wire which had snapped due to heavy rains and suffered a severe electric shock. The woman died on the spot. The Somarasampet Police have registered a case.
Traffic diversions
Chennai Police has made the following traffic diversions in view of water logging.
One side of the M.R.H Road from Manjampakkam round tana towards Redhills has been closed and vehicles are allowed two ways only on one side of the road.
Since the road caved in near Kamarajar Illam on Thirumalaipillai Road, vehicles are not permitted towards valluvarkottam junction from Vani Mahal junction. Instead, traffic has been diverted at Vani Mahal, Benz park junction. However vehicles from Valluvarkottam towards Vani Mahal are permitted on Thirumalaipillai Road.
MTC Buses from Doveton towards Pulianthope is diverted at Doveton to take the route via Bricklin Road, Strahans Road and proceed further. Similarly Buses from Pulianthope towards Doveton diverted via Strahans Road, Bricklin Road, Purasaiwakkam High Road and to proceed further.
Flights cancelled
Eight flights have been cancelled to Madurai, Tiruchi, Mumbai and Sharjah at Chennai airport.
TN’s unique community of weather-watchers helps people ride out the storm
As Chennai faces another severe bout of rains — the city has already exceeded its annual rainfall average with more than a month of monsoon left — its weather bloggers have been hard at work, posting regular forecasts on Twitter and Facebook. Accounts like Tamil Nadu Weatherman run by Pradeep John (377.9K followers), Chennai Rains, run by Srikanth and his group (119.6K), Chennai Weather run by Raja Ramasamy (99.9K) have been buzzing with activity — as have other similar accounts with variations of these words (Tamil Nadu, Chennai, rain, monsoon) in their handles.
Local holiday
With rain holidays extended for two more days on November 10 and 11, schools and colleges in the city are switching to online mode of teaching.
In view of heavy rainfall warning, the government on Tuesday declared local holiday for educational institutions in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, Chengalpet, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai.
Red alert to Chennai, Villupuram, Cuddalore
IMD has changed to red alert warning for Chennai and neighbouring districts and Villupuram and Cuddalore as extremely heavy rains are possible today and tomorrow.
Dry spell in southern districts, despite heavy rain alert
Even as most of the southern districts had declared holiday for schools and colleges for Wednesday, no significant rainfall was reported on Wednesday morning.
Senior officials, including district Collectors were inspecting flood prone and low-lying areas to oversee the arrangements made to mitigate impact of any possible flood.
“The sun is out here in Tenkasi district and schools and colleges are functioning as usual,” said, its Collector, S. Gopala Sundara Raj. The district had received 2.6 mm till Wednesday morning, he added. Water has been released from all the dams for irrigation purpose.
Educational institutions in Thoothukudi district functioned on Wednesday.
Depression to cross by Thursday
According to IMD, the well marked low pressure area over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a depression by Wednesday night and move west–northwestwards and reach near north Tamil Nadu coast by Thursday early morning.
Then, it is likely to continue to move further and cross north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast between Karaikal and Sriharikota around Cuddalore by Thursday evening. During the past 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m., Nagapattinam and Tirupoondi recorded an extremely heavy rains of 31 cm each. - K. Lakshmi
Helpline numbers
IIT-M crowd sources data on street-level inundation
A professor of civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has invited people to provide details of flooding in the city, including the suburbs.
Parts of Villivakkam still under water
The data would then be shared with the Chennai Corporation, said Balaji Narasimhan, civil engineering professor. At a future date, it would enable government agencies to improve the design of roads, storm water drains, forecast, and facilities and improve their maintenance.
To provide details of flooding, a person should visit https://in.riskmap.org and click on it to submit report. It will, in turn, activate the user’s Twitter account and will ask the user to report flooding. Clicking on ‘report’ will activate the map. A toggle and a slider is provided to explain the level of flooding. Users can also upload a photograph along with a comment regarding the flooding. — R. Sujatha
Traffic diversions in Chennai
The Chennai traffic police has closed the Madley's Subway in T.Nagar, which was flooded due to the rains. Meanwihile, a part of Thrumalai Pillai road near the Kamaraj Illam caved in, forcing authorities for traffic diversions. Vehicles are not permitted towards Valluvar Kottam junction from Vani Mahal point, but allowed on the opposite side from Valluvar Kottam.
Similarly, traffic has been diverted at Vani Mahal- Benz park junction.— Sivaraman
Weather system may trigger torrential downpour over coastal areas
Coastal areas between delta districts to Chennai may experience severe rainfall on November 10, as the Meteorological department has announced the weather system to have strengthened as a well marked low pressure area.
Man drowns in ditch near railway tracks
The weather system over central parts of South Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a depression by Wednesday evening. It is likely to move to west-northwestwards and reach Tamil Nadu coast by Thursday early morning.
200 acres of paddy crop submerged in Tiruchi district
However, there was no official word yet on further intensification of the weather system as deep depression.
Holiday declared for schools in six districts
The district administrations of Tiruvannamalai, Coimbatore and Tiruppur have declared holiday for all schools in the districts on November 10, due to rain. Similarly, holiday has been declared for all schools and colleges in Vellore, Ranipet and Karur by the respective Collectors today due to intense spell of rain.
In Pictures | Chennai receives heavy rainfall, waterlogging in some parts of the city
Woes of Chennai continue
On a day when Chennai had some respite from the rain, inundation cleared up in a few areas, but people were stranded and in need of help on Tuesday as the stagnant water was yet to be drained. Residents are approaching the next couple of days with dread as heavy rain has been forecast.
Tamil Nadu rain updates | November 9, 2021
The Madras High Court warned the Greater Chennai Corporation that it would take up a suo motu public interest litigation petition on the travails of residents due to waterlogging, if the situation did not improve by Friday. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin warned that action would be initiated against the contractor implementing Smart City.
More than one-fourth of irrigation tanks are full
As many as 3,691 irrigation tanks, accounting for around 26% of the total in Tamil Nadu, are full. This indicates the impact of the northeast monsoon, which has accounted for about 37 cm of rainfall in the State since October 1.
Tanks across Coimbatore district up to the brim
Kanniyakumari, which has the maximum number of irrigation tanks in the State with 2,040 tanks, still has 842 tanks whose storage is equivalent to 75% of their capacity or less. The number includes 11 tanks which have nil storage.
IMD predicts of a fresh weather system
Coastal parts of Tamil Nadu may have to prepare for another intense spell of rainfall as a fresh weather system is likely to form in the next 12 hours, and concentrate into a depression. It is likely to reach north Tamil Nadu by early in the morning on November 11.
While rains will cover most places of the State, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places on coastal TN. One or two places may even receive extremely heavy rains of above 20.4 cm. on Wednesday and Thursday.
( With inputs from Our Correspondents, agencies )
