The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rains in Chennai and other northern districts in the state. Heavy rainfall is meanwhile likely to occur in isolated places over the Nilgiris district. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, in the next 24 to 48 hours, Chennai and its neighbouring districts will see a cloudy sky with light rain likely to occur in some areas.
The maximum temperature will be 34 degrees Celsius during the day and 27 degrees Celsius in the night. Tiruvallur and Vellore districts will see light to moderate rain. Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts will see light rain at isolated places.
The Times of India further reported that the cause for the rains would be a system brewing over the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is likely to get rain due to favourable wind convergence caused by the low pressure near Odisha, said the report.
IMD's Bay inference also stated, "Yesterday’s (August 14) well-marked low-pressure area over north coastal Odisha and adjoining areas of the northwest Bay of Bengal and Gangetic West Bengal persists. The monsoon trough at mean sea level now passes through Jharkhand and hence to the centre of a well-marked low-pressure area over north coastal Odisha and adjoining areas of the northwest Bay of Bengal and Gangetic West Bengal and extends upto 0.9 km above mean sea level. A fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the north Bay of Bengal around August 19. Monsoon moderate to strong over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea."
According to Srikanth, founder of Chennai Rains, a city-based weather blogging site, the rains are likely to be very light in the coming week.
"There will not be much of an effect due to this system. There could be showers in some isolated places," he said. "However, we can expect more rain as we move towards the end of the month," he added.