Fast-moving thunderstorms bring sudden rains to Chennai
Several areas in the city including Vepery, Chetpet, and Anna Salai are witnessing heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.
Representative Image (File)
CHENNAI: A sudden spell of rain and thunderstorms on Friday evening brought much-needed relief from the scorching summer heat in Chennai. Popular weather blogger Pradeep John, known as Tamil Nadu Weatherman on social media, said the rainfall activity was due to the fast-moving thunderstorms travelling from the delta districts to Chennai.
Several areas in the city including Vepery, Chetpet, and Anna Salai are witnessing heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.
As per a Friday night bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a well-marked low pressure area lay over the east-central Arabian Sea off the south Konkan coast at 5.30 pm today (May 23). The system is likely to move nearly northwards and concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours, it added.
Meanwhile, parts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, and Cuddalore districts along with Puducherry may also receive showers as a result of the fast-moving thunderstorms, tweeted K Srikkanth, a weather blogger who runs the Chennai Rains handle on X)
More rains in the coming days
Under the influence of the low pressure area, scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of speeds reaching 30-40 kmph is likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema, and Telangana during the next five days, as per the IMD.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai has issued yellow alerts for this period, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the Nilgiris and the Ghat areas of Coimbatore from May 23 to 27, with peak intensity expected on May 25 and 26. Isolated heavy to very heavy rain is also forecast for Theni, Dindigul, Tenkasi, Tirupur, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari during this period.
Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (40–50 kmph) are likely at isolated spots over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from May 23 to 27, the RMC added.
Meanwhile, weather blogger Pradeep John had earlier forecast an early arrival of the southwest monsoon, with very heavy to extremely heavy rain expected along the west coast and Western Ghats from May 23 to June 3. Forecasts suggest some areas could receive over 200 mm of rain in a single day, raising the risk of flash floods and landslides.
“Normally, such monsoon surges occur in June, but with twin systems—one in the Arabian Sea and one in the Bay of Bengal—conditions are ideal for extreme rainfall in the Ghat regions,” he had said.
