CHENNAI: Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds are likely in the ghat areas and Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Theni, Krishnagiri, and Dharmapuri districts on Monday and Tuesday (October 5 and 6), said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) on Sunday.

The wet spell will continue into October 7 and 8, with moderate rain likely over the Western Ghat districts, southern districts, and the Delta region. Light rain is expected to cover the rest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during this period, it added.

According to the weather bulletin, an atmospheric trough extending from an upper air cyclonic circulation lying over the Gulf of Mannar and adjoining south coastal Tamil Nadu across interior Tamil Nadu and north Kerala toward the East Central Arabian Sea is likely to bring rainfall to several parts of the State.

Also, moderate rain with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds is likely over Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Tirupattur, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Karur, Tiruchy, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari, and also Puducherry and Karaikal area.

In Chennai, light to moderate showers with thunderstorms and lightning is likely to occur during the evening and night on Monday. The city's maximum temperature may touch 36 degrees Celsius on Monday, while the minimum temperature will hover around 26 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature is expected to rise by 2-3 degrees above normal on Monday and will be near normal for the next couple of days over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal areas.