Scorching days are ahead for a few districts in Tamil Nadu, warned Regional Met Department Director, S Balachander. According to a press release, maximum temperature is likely to be about 41-43°C over parts of Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Tiruchi, Perambalur and Madurai districts. This forecast temperature is 2-3°C above normal.

Maximum temperature in Chennai and its neighbourhood, however, is likely to be around 37-38°C. Tiruttani recorded the highest maximum temperature of 42.6°C as on April 30. Also, districts of Vellore, Dharmapuri and Salem recorded temperature of 40°C and above. 

Despite high temperature warnings, it is forecast that isolated places over interior Tamil Nadu may experience heavy rains and thunderstorms over the next couple of days. This is the result of north-south wind discontinuity, explains Balachander. Vanur in Villupuram has recorded 3 cms rainfall.

In his Facebook post, weather blogger Tamil Nadu Weatherman listed that a few places in western districts of Salem, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Erode, Nilgiris, Coimbatore etc received rainfall on May 1 with Gobichettypalayam, Erode recording a maximum of 85 mm rainfall.

In another post by the Tamil Nadu Weatherman, he also observed that a freak thunderstorm nearly missed Chennai. “Freak cells started moving far away from Machilipattinam and bypassed Chennai to reach Pondy and Cuddalore. As it neared TN border, it took the Tiruvallur route then Kancheepuram, Chengalpet to Pondy and fizzled out nearing Ariyalur border,” he wrote adding the event was a rare phenomenon. 

In early April, southern districts of Tamil Nadu got some relief from the blazing sun. Coonoor recorded 10 cm of rain, Kotagiri 8 cm and Sivagiri 7 cm of rain.  On March 13, southern districts such as Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram received good rainfall from the low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea.