Heavy rains bring Chennai to a halt, schools and colleges shut on Tuesday: One dead in Thanjavur

One person was killed in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu as heavy rains lashed the state on Monday, according to media reports. In the capital city of Chennai, the showers caused waterlogging and traffic snarls in several areas, with schools and colleges declaring a holiday on Tuesday. Several schools in Chennai closed ahead of schedule as the city experienced heavy showers. Collectors have announced that all schools and colleges in Chennai and Kancheepuram will remain closed on Tuesday. The Northeast Monsoon, which arrived had its onset on 28 October following the withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon, brings most of the rainfall to Tamil Nadu.

After the near #Cloudburst in parts of #Chennai. This is BSNL Colony Anna Nagar that got water logged #Chennairains https://t.co/FCmFqfCnwN

— Chennai Rains (COMK) (@ChennaiRains) October 30, 2017

#ChennaiRains : Take a look at the #Live #lightning and #thunderstorm status across #TamilNadu:https://t.co/9G8vbtNjGY

— Skymet (@SkymetWeather) October 30, 2017

Parts of Chennai have been waterlogged causing traffic snarls at major roads including Anna Salai, EVR Periyar Salai, Santhome high road, LB Road Adyar. According to The Times of India, Chennai airport has recorded 5 centimetres rainfall till 8.30 am on Monday. Nagapattinam district has recorded the maximum of 9 centimetres of rain. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that several parts of Tamil Nadu will receive showers as monsoon rains have started over the southern peninsula. However, the amount of rainfall in Chennai is going to intensify over a period of next four to five days. Heavy to very heavy rain rainfall is likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, IMD said. Last year, the northeast monsoon had brought in a deficient rain in Chennai, however, this year the IMD has predicted normal rain. Chennai on an average receives around 37 centimetres of rainfall over 11 and a half rainy days during November. Initially, Chennai received light rains for the first two days but the past 24 hours, the rain has intensified accompanied by thunderstorms. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to remain around 32 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius respectively. According to Skymetweather, from 8.30 am on Saturday, the Meenambakkam observatory witnessed 3 millimetres of rains while Nungambakkam recorded traces of rain. Other areas which have seen some showers include Pamban (7 millimetres), Atiramapattinam (8 millimetres), Tiruchirappalli (5 millimetres), Parangipettai (3 millimetres), Tondi (1 millimetre) and traces of rain in Karaikal. The Meteorological Department has warned that the coastal areas are expected to receive heavy to very heavy showers in the next two days. Reports and experts attributed the rainfall to the cyclonic circulation that is currently persisting over Southwest Bay of Bengal, off the Sri Lanka coast and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast, a report by the Business Standard said. “The upper air cyclonic circulation over Southwest Bay of Bengal near Sri Lanka yesterday continues to be positioned in the same region,” Director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre here S Balachandran told PTI reporters. Some areas in coastal districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Ramanathapuram might experience heavy and very heavy rains as well, he added. Buses were delayed in several areas and parts of the city and suburbs witnessed water logging, affecting office-goers and school children. Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan said the civic body was fully geared to tackle the situation. He said the corporation had over 450 water pumps which would be used in low-lying areas to bale out water in the event of water logging. The other regions which are expected to receive very heavy rainfall are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. With inputs from PTI