Tamil Nadu weather: IMD retains yellow alert for today; Chennai, suburbs may still get heavy rain

CHENNAI: A chilly breeze and overcast skies blanketed the city on Saturday, but the rain forecast for the day fizzled out. Even so, the India Meterological Department said heavy spells are possible on Sunday, retaining a yellow alert for heavy rainfall of 6–12cm in 24 hours for Chennai, Chengalpet and Kancheepuram.

The agency, however, quietly dropped Chennai from the heavy rain warning it issued for Saturday.

Meteorologists said the city missed the expected heavy spells because the weather system weakened and remained far from the coast. Strong wind shear disrupted the system and pushed the convection away, altering the rainfall pattern. As of Saturday evening, the system crossed the north-east Sri Lanka coast near Mullaitivu and is expected to weaken further into a well-marked low pressure area by Sunday morning as it moves westwards towards Tamil Nadu. “Even though the system weakened, the circulation will persist in the upper atmosphere for one or two days. Along with the north-easterly winds, this will cause convergence and bring rainfall,” said P Senthamarai Kannan, director, regional weather forecasting centre, IMD.

“On Sunday, its impact could be seen over north coastal Tamil Nadu and even some interior ghat areas. Models show moderate to heavy rain in Chennai.” On Sunday, the city and suburbs may receive moderate to heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over some areas. Generally cloudy skies are expected to keep maximum temperatures at 27–28°C and minimum temperatures at 22–23°C.

Along with Chennai, Chengalpet and Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Villupuram may also receive heavy rainfall in isolated places on Sunday. On Saturday, cloudy conditions kept temperatures below normal, with Nungambakkam recording 27.7°C and Meenambakkam 28.1°C. Light drizzles were reported in a few pockets, with 0.5mm recorded at an automatic rain gauge in Villivakkam.

Several southern and interior districts also received light rain, including Nagapattinam (1mm), Grand Anaicut in Thanjavur (2.5mm), and the hill stations Coonoor and Yercaud (1mm each).

Since Jan 1, Chennai recorded 21.9mm of rainfall—about 130% above normal—while Tamil Nadu logged 8.1mm, around 26% above normal.