CHENNAI: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has alerted that the capital city will remain partly cloudy on Sunday. Light rainfall is likely in some areas, it stated.

“The temperature will drop to 35 degrees Celsius from 37-38 degrees. Light rain with thunderstorms and lightning can be expected. Temperature will be around 38, 36 and 37 degrees in Tiruvallur, Vellore and Krishnagiri. The temperature in TN will dip by 2-3 degrees except in hilly regions,” B Amudha, head-RMC, told DT Next.

According to sources from the weather office, the condition was favourable for the further advancement of southwest monsoon over some more parts of South Arabian Sea, Maldives and the Comorin area, south Bay of Bengal and Central Bay of Bengal, and some parts of northeast Bay of Bengal in the next 3-4 days. A trough runs from the cyclonic circulation over the Southeast Bay of Bengal to Central Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam between 1.5 and 5.8 km above mean sea level, tilting towards southwest with height.

The weather department has forecasted heavy rain at isolated places over Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, The Nilgiris, and also the Ghat areas of Coimbatore, Erode, Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal, Kallakurichi and Tiruchy till May 19.

Erode recorded the highest maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees, Adirampattinam was the lowest with 21.2 degrees in the plains of TN. “The temperature may go well below normal by 2-4 degrees in a few pockets over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry areas till May 21,”s read the weather department.