After facing several days of extreme heat, Chennai woke up to heavy rainfall on Friday morning. The downpour hit hard with loud thunderstorms and bright lightning, taking the locals by a surprise. Parts of Chennai, including Annanagar, Guindy, Kodambakkam, Madipakkam, Vadapalani, Ashok Pillar, and Koyambedu saw intense thunderstorms.
The heavy rainfall led to waterlogging in many areas which in turn led the inconvenience of daily commuters. Roads that were already affected by the ongoing metro construction in certain areas, saw water quickly piling up, making travel even more difficult. As per media reports, Municipal Corporation workers have been deployed to clear the water from key roads.
IMD forecast for across districts in Tamil Nadu
IMD‘s Tamil Nadu Meteorological Department has warned that rainfall with thunder and lightning is likely to continue in Chennai. The department has issued an orange alert, predicting moderate rainfall in Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Cuddalore areas on Friday.
The Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre has said that between 5 am and now, several parts of the city, including Nungambakkam, Adyar, Raja Annamalaipuram, and Vadapalani, have received around 4 to 5 cm of rainfall. For Friday, the weather office expects the maximum temperature in Chennai and nearby areas to be about 35°C, while the minimum temperature may stay between 27°C and 28°C.
The forecast also mentions that thunderstorms with lightning could occur at one or two places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal until August 23.
Earlier, the IMD had forecast only moderate showers for Chennai over the next two days, but the city ended up receiving much heavier rainfall this morning.
Chennai Rains: More rains, more thunderstorms
With the monsoon season underway, frequent rains are expected across Tamil Nadu. There are also chances of moderate rain accompanied by more thunderstorms in Ranipet, Vellore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Trichy, Perambalur, Karur, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Ariyalur, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, and Dindigul. Light rainfall is also expected in Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli.
There is no official confirmation on how Chennai is going to tackle the heavy rainfall but the state government has reportedly already tasked Municipal workers with removing excess water from the streets.