Heavy rainfall likely in Chennai, neighbourhood on Oct 4 : RMC

CHENNAI: Chennai and its neighbouring districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Saturday, October 4, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, in its forecast on Thursday. As a prelude to it, the city may also receive one or two spells of moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning on Friday, it added.

According to the forecast, a well-marked low-pressure area over the west-central Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression on Wednesday. It then moved north-northwestwards and intensified into a deep depression, with its centre near West Bengal and the adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal.

The system is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards and cross the coasts of Odisha and adjoining Andhra Pradesh between Gopalpur and Paradip by the night of October 2, it said.

"Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and lightning at one or two places is likely over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Friday. Over the next few days, heavy rain is expected at isolated places in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Vellore, Ramanathapuram, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Salem districts, and Puducherry," said the weather bulletin issued by the meteorological department.

It added that thunderstorms and lightning are likely at one or two places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and the Karaikal area until October 6.

On Thursday, Madurai airport recorded the highest maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius in Tamil Nadu, while Karur Paramathi recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius in the plains of Tamil Nadu.

The maximum temperature is expected to be 2-3 degrees Celsius above normal in isolated pockets over Tamil Nadu till October 6.