Heavy rains lashed Chennai submerging low-lying areas and bringing traffic to a standstill on Wednesday night. The downpour, which began after 6 pm, continued late into the night, leading to power outages and waterlogged streets across the city. The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has issued a yellow alert, warning of more rain on Thursday.
Major areas like Tondiarpet, Koyambedu, Egmore, Anna Salai, Ekkaduthangal, Kodambakkam, Guindy and Tambaram were affected by the rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. According to official reports, between Wednesday from 8:30 am and Thursday 5:30 am, Nungambakkam recorded 7.42 cm of rainfall, while Meenambakkam saw 7.12 cm, as reported by ANI.
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The rain also extended beyond Chennai, hitting districts like Tiruvallur, Vellore, Cuddalore, and Puducherry, causing widespread disruption. The IMD said that rainfall occurred in isolated places over North and South Tamil Nadu. However, it said that dry weather prevailed over Karaikal.
For the next 48 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted partly cloudy skies with intermittent thunderstorms, lightning, and light to moderate rain in several parts of the city. The IMD forecast places the maximum temperature around 36°C and the minimum at 27-28°C.
IMD said, "Yesterday’s low pressure area over Westcentral & adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts moved west northwestwards and has become less marked. However, the associated cyclonic circulation now lies over south Chhattisgarh & neighbourhood and extends upto 5.8 km above mean sea level tilting southwards with height."
Authorities have urged residents to remain cautious, and traffic diversions are in place to manage congestion in waterlogged areas.