CHENNAI: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has issued an alert for heavy rains in 5 districts of Tamil Nadu today.

The weather department has given an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over the Nilgiris district.

Heavy showers are also likely to occur at isolated places in the ghat areas of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, and Dindigul districts, it said, issuing a yellow alert.

Meanwhile, Chennai and its suburbs will remain partly cloudy for another 24 hours. Light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning has been forecast for parts of the city.

The weather department had announced that a low pressure area has formed over west central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal yesterday. It is expected to strengthen further and move northwestwards towards the coast of Odisha in two-three days.

Although chances of this event causing rain in Tamil Nadu are less, light to moderate showers with thunder and lightning may occur at a few places in the state, and Puducherry and Karaikal areas, today, due to a variation in the speed of the westerly winds, the RMC added.