While the skies remain overcast over Chennai, the latest bulletin from Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, reads that there are chances of the city receiving light to moderate showers on Saturday.
The change in weather has been attributed to the North Easterly winds that have strengthened, picking up moisture on their way. “When these winds travel over the bay area there are chances of rain,” says an official from RMC.
The bulletin that has been issued on Friday night reads that light to moderate rain or thundershower is likely to occur at isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the weekend. Chennai’s maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30 and 23 deg celsius respectively.
According to RMC’s rainfall update, Valparai in Coimbatore district has recorded 4 cms rainfall on 29th. Nanguneri and Sankarankoil in Tirunelveli District have recorded 1 cm each.
Chennai is reeling under a severe rainfall deficit with a departure of 55% from normal levels, as of December 28. The city has recorded 352.6 mm of rainfall in comparison to its normal level that stands at 783.6 mm.
Hope turned into disappointment for Chennai when Cyclone Phethai, which brought the promise of rains, did not bring any rainfall. Tamil Nadu's capital city is heading towards a potential drought-like situation in 2019 with the northeast monsoons bringing in very little rainfall and the lakes surrounding the city drying up.
According to S Janakarajan, Professor and Officiating Director at Madras Institute of Development Studies, there are 3,600 water bodies in Kanchipuram, Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, and 4,100 including those in Arakkonam. Despite the huge number of water bodies, we are staring at a deficit.
The shortage of rainfall this season has threatened to dry up several lakes on the outskirts of Chennai, including Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam, which supply drinking water to the city.