The low pressure system was likely to concentrate into a depression, bringing widespread rains with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at some coastal places, a special bulletin issued by the area cyclone warning centre Saturday said.

Warning fishermen to be cautious while venturing into the sea, it said strong winds from northeasterly direction with speeds occasionally reaching 45 to 55 kmph were likely along the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry coast during the next 24 hours. Interior parts of Tamil Nadu would also receive fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls, it said.

Several parts of the state experienced widespread rainfall during the last two days, with Sankarankovil and Vedaranyam recording a high of 11 cm and nine cm of rain during the last 24 hours ended 0830 hours.

The delay in the onset of the monsoon,which normally occurs around the first week of November, had caused concern, particularly in the city, with the water storage in its main reservoirs depleting fast.