Chennai heavy rain and overnight showers across neighbouring districts prompted authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu on Wednesday, as forecasts warned of further intense rainfall across the region.
Chennai collector S Malathi Helen and the collectors of the three adjoining districts ordered the closures as a precautionary measure. The decisions came amid forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.
The Regional Meteorological Centre recorded more than 10cm of rain at its Meenambakkam and Nungambakkam weather stations as of 6am on Wednesday. Several parts of Chennai, including Taramani, Villivakkam and Nandanam, also received moderate to heavy showers overnight and during the early morning.
The rainfall is linked to an expected low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast. According to the weather forecast cited in the report, the wet spell is expected to continue until October 26. Another low-pressure area may form over the Bay of Bengal around October 23, potentially extending the period of unsettled weather.
The early-morning closure order also disrupted preparations under Tamil Nadu’s Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, which provides breakfast to students in Classes 1 to 8. Government school kitchens had started preparing food before the holiday announcement was issued.
“The holiday was declared only around 6am. We started preparing breakfast around 5.30am. We are looking to distribute it to conservancy workers,” a headmaster said, according to the report. The incident illustrates the practical difficulty of coordinating school operations, food preparation and public-service delivery when weather decisions are taken close to the start of the school day.
The school closures affect four districts within and around the Chennai metropolitan region, where rainfall can quickly influence daily travel, school transport and municipal operations. The report does not provide details of major road closures, transport cancellations or flooding-related damage, but the recorded rainfall and continued forecast have led authorities to adopt a precautionary approach.
District authorities said any decision on school closures for Thursday would depend on the intensity of rainfall and a review of weather conditions during Wednesday. That assessment will determine whether the precautionary shutdown is extended as the weather system develops over the Bay of Bengal and the Tamil Nadu coast.
