Met department warns of heavy showers in coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry till Saturday

The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy-to-very heavy rainfall in coastal Tamil Nadu, Karaikal, Puducherry, and south coastal Andhra Pradesh. The rain is likely to continue till Saturday. A Met department official told The Indian Express that the well-marked low-pressure system over south Bay of Bengal had intensified into a depression with surface winds reaching speeds of up to 45 to 55 km per hour and gusting to 65 km an hour on Thursday morning. This is the year’s first depression formed in the north Indian Ocean region. It was located 470 km south of Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee, 950 km south-southeast of Chennai, and 760 km south-southeast of Puducherry as on Thursday 5.30 AM.

The weather agency’s special weather bulletin warned that low-pressure system was likely to intensify into a deep depression with surface wind speeds reaching up to 50 to 60 km an hour and gusting to 70 km hour.

It is most likely to move towards the northwest along and off the coast of Sri Lanka and head towards northern Tamil Nadu over the next 48 hours, the bulletin said. 

The Met department has forecast light-to-moderate rain at many places on Friday. Heavy spells of rain are likely along the coasts of Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Karaikal.

On Saturday, heavy-to-very heavy rain is likely over Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Karaikal, and southern coastal Rayalaseema and Andhra Pradesh.

The weather bureau has also issued a ‘yellow watch’ over Puducherry and Tamil Nadu till Saturday and urged residents to beware the inclement weather.

The regional Met centre in Chennai on Thursday predicted isolated heavy-to-very heavy showers across Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Cuddalore. It has also warned of heavy showers over Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Perambalur, Ariyalur, and Sivaganga. The regional Met centre has also issued an ‘orange alert’ over all these districts.