CHENNAI: With the cyclonic storm Ditwah over the Southwest Bay of Bengal is inching towards the north Tamil Nadu coasts, the south and delta districts received heavy rains on Saturday along with strong surface winds touching 60 km per hour during the day.
According to the reports of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), the cyclonic storm was moving northwestward at a speed of 10 kmph, and was centred at 190 km southeast of Puducherry and 290 km south of Chennai at 5:30 pm on Saturday. It will continue northwestward and reach over the southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early Sunday.
As of Saturday 7.30 pm, the RMC said, Karaikkal in Puducherry received the highest rainfall of 14.5 cm, followed by Nagapattinam (11.3 cm), Pamban (7.1 cm), Cuddalore (5.9 cm), and Puducherry (4.6 cm).
Under the Ditwah influence, Chennai started receiving intermittent rain from Saturday evening, with Meenambakkam recording 8.6 mm rainfall and Nungambakkam 6.2 mm.
RMC head B Amudha said the city may get intermittent heavy spells on Sunday. She said that the cyclonic storm will be centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 25 km to 60 km from the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by Saturday midnight, Sunday early morning and evening. She said it will not make landfall in the state and move along the coast.
Meanwhile, a red alert has been issued for Tiruvallur and Ranipet districts, orange alert for Kancheepuram, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai and Villuppuram districts, and yellow alert for Salem, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore districts and Puducherry on Sunday.
"Gale wind speed reaching 70-80 gusting to 90 kmph prevailed along and off the southern parts, and 60 to 70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph over the northern parts of the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast," said the weather bulletin.
“It is likely to increase, becoming 70-80 gusting to 90 kmph along and off the north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts by Sunday morning. Thereafter, it is likely to decrease gradually, becoming squally wind speed reaching 45-55 gusting to 65 kmph by Monday morning,” added the bulletin.