Heavy rain continues to lash Chennai, adjacent areas; Orange alert issued till December 3

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), torrential downpours are still causing disruptions to daily life in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, although rain, thunderstorms, and lightning are expected in Chennai and five other districts today.  

Heavy rain continued to pound Chennai and its neighbouring districts in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, causing waterlogging in many low-lying regions and traffic jams. Though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast substantial rainfall between December 1 and 4, particularly in coastal Tamil Nadu, there is still no reprieve for the southern state just yet. The Met Department predicts that Friday will bring rain, thunderstorms, and lightning to Chennai and five other districts in Tamil Nadu. These regions include Chengalpattu, Thiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, and Kanchipuram.

Images shared on social media showed people wading through flooded streets while sporting raincoats or clutching umbrellas as the rain pounded Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu. As water was discharged from Chembarambakkam Lake, a flood warning was issued for low-lying regions and six villages along the banks of the Adyar river in the Kanchipuram district, according to news agency ANI.

The IMD reported in its most recent bulletin that a well defined region of low pressure travelled west-northwest and settled over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the nearby south Andaman Sea. By December 3, it is most likely to become a depression and strengthen even more into a cyclonic storm. After that, it would travel northwest and eventually make landfall on the shores of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the early hours of December 4 as a cyclonic storm.

The IMD has issued an orange alert in coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, between December 2 and 4, and in coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam for December 3 and 4. A similar alert has also been given to Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh for December 4. Heavy rain has also been predicted in Kerala, Mahe, Puducherry and Karaikal today