Tamil Nadu northeast monsoon activity has intensified, with heavy rain forecast in 27 districts and an orange alert issued for six districts as authorities activate preparedness measures across the state. The India Meteorological Department’s Chennai centre said Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, Tenkasi and Madurai could receive very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.
The weather department said the southwest monsoon had fully withdrawn by the morning before the forecast, marking the beginning of the northeast monsoon over Tamil Nadu and other southern states. The department said the southwest monsoon had delivered 21 per cent less rainfall than normal in Tamil Nadu this year.
According to the forecast, heavy rain with thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds is also likely in Erode, Tiruppur, Virudhunagar, Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Karur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Viluppuram, Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Ranipet, Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur, as well as Puducherry. Other parts of the state may receive moderate rain with thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.
Chennai and its suburbs are expected to remain partly cloudy, with moderate rain and thunderstorms possible in some areas. The forecast is significant for the city’s roads, storm-water drainage network, low-lying neighbourhoods and electricity infrastructure, although the report did not specify any current flooding or service disruption in Chennai.
The weather department reported that Thogaimalai in Karur district and Thiruvengadu in Mayiladuthurai district recorded the highest rainfall in the state, at 11 cm each. Panapakkam in Ranipet district, Nagapattinam, and Tharangambadi and Maruthapallam in Mayiladuthurai recorded 9 cm each.
The department said a low-pressure area was located from the southern coastal parts of Tamil Nadu towards the northwest Bay of Bengal beyond the Odisha coast. It also said rainfall during the northeast monsoon could be above normal in southern and delta districts, below normal in northern districts and near normal in coastal districts.
The forecast was linked by the department to higher land temperatures and changing ocean currents. It said temperatures associated with El Niño were around 3 degrees Celsius above normal, while also noting that Tamil Nadu has historically recorded higher northeast monsoon rainfall during El Niño periods. The department added that the formation of low-pressure areas over the Bay of Bengal could be lower and that another low-pressure area may form only about a week after the monsoon’s onset.
Tamil Nadu Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sengottaiyan reviewed preparedness at the emergency control centre in Chennai’s Ezhilagam. Officials from the weather department, police, Navy and disaster management agencies attended the review. The minister said arrangements had been made to provide essential food supplies through the concerned departments and that precautionary measures were based on damage recorded during earlier weather events.
The minister said discussions were also held on protecting residents in Chennai and other coastal districts during flooding. Authorities, he said, were working to prevent waterlogging on roads, maintain uninterrupted electricity supply and reduce damage. For Chennai, senior officials and ministers in charge have been assigned to all 15 zones, with instructions for heightened vigilance during the weather event.
