Over 4 hours of rain triggers fear of 2015

Several thickly populated neighbourhoods including parts of Madipakkam, Medavakkam, Santhome, Nandanam were inundated within hours as flood water entered homes. In the suburbs, water entered homes in CTO Colony and Anna Nagar in Tambaram and residents had to vacate the ground floor to safer locations. 

Traffic came to a grinding halt in almost all arterial roads and was particularly worse on Rajiv Gandhi Salai. 

The Tambaram Mudichur Salai has been cut off due to rains as a result of which all vehicles plying between Kancheepuram and Tambaram have been diverted via Kishkinda Road.

EMU train services on Beach -Tambaram section was affected for over an hour and a half after heavy downpour flooded the tracks and busted the signals late Thursday. Service disruption was reported first between Egmore and Kodambakkam at 8.45pm after waterlogging broke the circuits (signals) at Kodambakkam. 

Subsequently, Railway authorities reduced the frequency to 20 minutes on the stretch. Weather expert K Srikant said that the city was struck by unprecedented rains due to convergence between the northerly and easterly winds. 

Over 100 mm of rainfall has been recorded within a short span of two hours, according to him. Meanwhile, Dr S Balachandran, director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre, RMC said, “Since new low-pressure has formed, there will be heavy to very heavy rains in delta districts and North coastal districts. 

As far as Chennai is concerned, there will be two or three heavy spells of rains.” All schools and colleges in Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts will remain closed on Friday.