Cyclone Montha formed, very heavy rainfall warning for Chennai, neighbourhood
It is likely to continue to move northwestwards over southwest & adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal during next 12 hours, then north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by morning of 28th October
Representative Image
CHENNAI: After moving gradually over the past two days, the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone Montha, and is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rains to Chennai and its neighbouring districts on Monday (Oct 27).
The weather system over the southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwest at 18 kmph in the past six hours, and was centred at 8.30 am today, near latitude 12.6°N and longitude 85.0°E—about 520 km east-southeast of Chennai, 570 km south-southeast of Kakinada, 600 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 750 km south of Gopalpur, and 850 km west of Port Blair.
It is expected to move further north-northwest and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning (October 28). It is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, on Tuesday evening or night, with wind speeds of 90–100 kmph and gusts up to 110 kmph.
Under this influence, heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places over Chennai and neighbouring Ranipet, Tiruvallur, and Kancheepuram districts, while heavy rain is expected at isolated places over Villupuram, Chengalpattu, and Puducherry on Monday.
Also, light to moderate rain is likely at a few places over north Tamil Nadu, and at isolated places over south Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at one or two locations, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai.
The weather department also forecast squally weather along and off the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast, the Gulf of Mannar, and the Comorin area, with wind speeds of 45–55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph. As sea conditions are expected to be rough to very rough, fishermen have been advised to return to the coast immediately, the RMC said.
Meanwhile, in a post earlier today, weather blogger Pradeep John (Tamil Nadu Weatherman on X) said Chennai and its suburbs are likely to see steady showers with occasional heavy spells as Cyclone Montha approaches, but there is no threat of flooding. He predicted that the rainfall would be well-distributed through the day, unlike the intense downpours seen during past floods.
He also said North Chennai and coastal areas could get 50–70 mm of rain, while South Chennai may receive 30–50 mm, with heavier spells (of upto 100 mm) likely in Gummidipoondi and Pulicat.
(With online desk inputs)