Red Alert in Chennai, Kanchipuram as IMD Warns of Heavy Rains; Depression to Cross Over State Today
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said a depression has formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal which is likely to cross Tamil Nadu and southern coastal Andhra Pradesh today evening, bringing 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 IMD said. Heavy rain is also likely in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Namakkal, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai and Puducherry. According to an IMD bulletin, the low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal organised into a well-marked low pressure area on Tuesday, and now lies over central parts of south Bay of Bengal with the associated cyclonic circulation extending upto 5.8 km above mean sea level.
Apart from Chennai, the IMD has also predicted thunderstorms with extremely heavy rain at isolated places over delta districts — Cuddalore, Villupuram, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Puducherry and Karaikal. Power cuts have been reported from many areas of Chennai including Virugambakkam, Saligramam and KK Nagar.
The department has issued red alert for eight districts — Chennai, Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Vellore, Salem, Kallakurichi, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai — on Thursday as extremely heavy rainfall measuring above 20.4 cm is expected in one or two places and very heavy to heavy rainfall in a few places.
Several international flights were cancelled or rescheduled at the Chennai airport and cyclone warning was hoisted in key sea ports.
Tamil Nadu has recorded rainfall 52 per cent above normal in its monsoon season. Reservoirs across the state are inching towards full storage; 53 of the 90 key reservoirs crossed 76 per cent storage on Wednesday.
The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority released a flood advisory for the districts of Thoothukudi, Villipuram, Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Chengalpettu in light of the heavy rains predicted for November 11.
Eight flights have been cancelled due to bad weather in Chennai airport, officials said on Wednesday.
