CHENNAI: After widespread drizzle and overcast sky on Monday, the city and its suburbs witnessed a dip in the temperature. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast partly cloudy conditions for the city, with light rain expected in some areas on Tuesday.

The weather change was attributed to an upper-air cyclonic circulation located over the West Central and adjacent Northwest Bay of Bengal, which extends from south Odisha to north coastal Andhra Pradesh. It now lies over south Odisha and extends up to 5.8 km above mean sea level, tilting southeastward with height.

In Chennai, Nungabakkam, which saw a departure of 4.2°C, recorded 31.3°C, and Meenambakkam, which saw a departure of 3.9°C from normal maximum temperature, recorded 31.7°C.

The weather department has indicated that on July 22, light to moderate rain is likely at isolated locations, along with thunderstorms and lightning in one or two areas, across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Heavy rainfall is expected at isolated spots in the Nilgiris district and the Ghat areas of Coimbatore district.

According to the weather bulletin, light to moderate rain is anticipated at isolated places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till 27 July. On July 22 and 23, wind speeds may reach 40-50 kmph in certain areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Thanjavur recorded the highest maximum temperature in Tamil Nadu at 38°C while Karur Paramathi reported the lowest minimum temperature at 21°C in the plains of Tamil Nadu.

As per RMC records, Chennai received actual rainfall of 19.8 cm from June 1 to July 27 this year, which is more than the normal rainfall of 13.17 cm. For the next five days, the maximum temperature in the city might reach around 32 to 35°C, and the minimum temperature will be around 26 to 28°C.