Chennai reels under rare August downpour as heavy rain floods city For the second consecutive day, intense thunderstorms lashed Chennai and its neighbouring districts, submerging key stretches and filling up major reservoirs. The overnight showers, recorded across southern and northern Tamil Nadu, brought relief to parched water bodies but left residents grappling with waterlogging, traffic snarls and power disruptions in several parts of the metropolitan area.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), some of the heaviest spells were concentrated in southern suburbs such as Sholinganallur and Parry’s, both of which recorded 17 cm of rainfall within 24 hours ending Saturday morning. Other localities including Madipakkam, Ennore, Korattur and Nerkundram reported between 14 and 15 cm, underlining the widespread nature of the weather system. Parts of Ranipet district too saw heavy inflows, highlighting how the current trough extended its reach beyond Chennai.The city’s crucial reservoirs Chembarambakkam, Poondi and Cholavaram registered double-digit inflows, boosting storage levels significantly at the peak of monsoon.
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While Red Hills reservoir received a relatively moderate 5 cm, water managers observed that the cumulative inflows have already added resilience to the city’s drinking water supply. Officials noted that such inflows during August are unusual, given that the northeast monsoon typically contributes the bulk of Chennai’s water.The RMC has forecast light to moderate rain in Chennai and adjoining districts through the weekend, with rainfall activity expected to shift gradually towards the delta districts and coastal belts.
The weather bureau attributed the phenomenon to a trough extending from interior Tamil Nadu to the Comorin area, a pattern known to trigger sustained rainfall events across the state.City officials worked through Saturday to restore normalcy, clearing fallen trees in central zones such as Teynampet and deploying additional pumps in low-lying neighbourhoods. Though there was no large-scale disruption to essential services, many arterial stretches experienced traffic bottlenecks due to stagnant water. Experts highlighted the need for more climate-resilient urban planning as frequent back-to-back heavy rain events become increasingly common under shifting monsoon dynamics.
Environmental planners believe the downpour underscores the urgency for Chennai to accelerate sustainable drainage and water management systems. With reservoirs filling up in August itself, urban water planners view the spell as an opportunity to build redundancy into city supply networks. However, they also warn that the recurrent flooding points to the long-standing challenges of unplanned construction and clogged stormwater channels.As the city braces for further showers in the coming days, officials emphasised preparedness while reiterating that such intense back-to-back rainfall episodes in August remain rare. For residents, the rains have been both a blessing and a disruption replenishing water reserves but exposing yet again the fragile balance between urban growth and natural resilience.
