Chennai, March 31 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecasted heavy rainfall across several districts of Tamil Nadu in the coming days, with isolated showers expected to continue until April 5.
According to the latest weather bulletin, Coimbatore, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Theni, and Dindigul districts are likely to receive heavy rain on April 2.
On April 3, rain is expected over isolated places in the ghat regions of Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, and Erode. Light to moderate rain is also likely in some parts of the state on April 4 and 5.
The RMC noted that a trough currently extends from South Chhattisgarh to North Tamil Nadu, crossing through interior Maharashtra and Karnataka. This weather pattern is likely to bring rain to various parts of the state.
Meanwhile, temperatures across Tamil Nadu are expected to remain 2-3 degrees Celsius above normal until April 1. A drop to normal or slightly below normal levels is anticipated on April 2 and 3.
As of Sunday evening, Salem recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 39 degrees. Other hot spots included Dharmapuri, Erode, Karur Paramathi, Madurai Airport, and Vellore, all of which recorded temperatures above 38 degrees.
Chennai’s Nungambakkam recorded a maximum temperature of 33.7 degrees. While no rain is forecast for the city in the next 48 hours, the temperature on Monday is expected to reach 35-36 degrees.
Recently, several southern districts in Tamil Nadu experienced unseasonal moderate to heavy rainfall, which helped lower regional temperatures. Thoothukudi saw the heaviest downpour, with 8 cm of rain, recorded in just 24 hours last week.
The persistent showers led to waterlogging in many parts of the city, including major roads and key public facilities like the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital and the Thoothukudi South Police Station.
So far, Tamil Nadu has received 14 per cent more rainfall than the seasonal average during the northeast monsoon. The state recorded 447 mm of rain, surpassing the seasonal norm of 393 mm. Chennai alone recorded 845 mm of rain -16 per cent higher than usual. Coimbatore also witnessed a 47 per cent increase in rainfall compared to the seasonal average. These developments follow the impact of Cyclone Fengal, which struck Tamil Nadu and Puducherry between November 29 and December 1.
The cyclone brought torrential rain, further intensified by a subsequent low-pressure system over the southern Bay of Bengal. The disaster claimed 12 lives, submerged over 2.11 lakh hectares of agricultural and horticultural land, and affected around 69 lakh families — impacting nearly 1.5 crore people.
With further rainfall expected in the coming days, authorities are on high alert and have urged residents to stay cautious.
–IANS
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