The district administrations in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai, Thiruvallur and Ranipet districts have announced a rain holiday for all schools and colleges on November 18, and all schools will remain closed in Kancheepuram, as the districts are expected to witness extremely heavy rainfall on Thursday. Chennai, which saw a severe bout of rain just ten days ago, is expected to witness isolated extremely heavy rainfall. In a release on Wednesday, the Greater Chennai Corporation has asked residents to stock up supplies, essential items and groceries for the next two days, as Chennai will be witnessing very heavy rainfall. The civic body has also asked residents to take due precautions amid the rains, adding that 600 motor pumps have been deployed in case there is a need to drain water out of inundated areas.
The Regional Meteorological Centre's forecast in Chennai said thunderstorms with heavy to very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rainfall is likely in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram and Ranipet districts of Tamil Nadu on November 18. On that day, heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Tirupattur and Vellore districts.
Most other places of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry and Karaikkal areas are also likely to receive rainfall on Thursday and it may be heavy to moderate in specific areas, the bulletin said. Rainfall is expected till November 21 in various parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikkal.
The low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal moved further westwards and is likely to reach the coast off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu by November 18, bringing rainfall, the Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. The department said the probability of cyclogenesis, the formation of a depression, during the next '120 hours', is however 'Nil' over the Bay of Bengal.
"Yesterday's low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal (BOB) moved further westwards, lay over southeast & adjoining southwest BOB...today the 17th November 2021 and persisted over the same region," the department said in a bulletin. Further moving westwards, it lay over southeast BOB. It is likely to move nearly westwards and reach west central & adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by tomorrow, November 18, it said.
A warning has also been issued to fishermen, asking them not to go out to sea for a few days.
With PTI inputs