IMD says 27 districts across Tamil Nadu on alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall

The evolving weather system off the Bay of Bengal is expected to move towards Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu coasts during the next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday (Dec 11). As the weather system moves north, northwestwards in the coming days, it is expected to bring heavy (7-11 cms) to very heavy rain (12-20 cms) in 28 districts of Tamil Nadu, and the adjoining Union Territory of Puducherry. In meteorology, a low-pressure area is associated with rainfall, stormy weather, rough sea conditions, and gusty winds.

For Wednesday the IMD issued an orange alert for six districts of Tamil Nadu, warning of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai districts. Similarly, a Yellow alert for heavy rain has been issued for Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Kallakurichi, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu.

For Thursday (Dec 12), an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain has been issued for isolated places over Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukkottai districts of Tamilnadu.

Further, a yellow alert for heavy rain issued for isolated places over Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Perambalur, Tiruchirappalli, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Karur, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi districts of Tamilnadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

As per the IMD, the impact of this weather system could continue to bring rainfall across parts of Tamil Nadu, over the next five days.

Owing to rough sea conditions and gusty winds, the IMD has advised fishermen against fishing along the Tamil Nadu coast.

This weather system and the rainfall alert came barely 10 days after the impact of Cyclone Fengal, which claimed 19 lives across Sri Lanka and Southern India. The October-December period is the Northeast monsoon season which brings rains to India’s eastern coastal states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.