People of various parts of Tamil Nadu, grappling with scorching temperature and torrid heat wave, may heave a sigh of relief. A spell of light to moderate rain is set to cool the sizzling parts of the State and heavy rain may lash isolated pockets of the Western Ghats and north interior districts till Saturday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has said the temperature may drop by two degrees Celsius in the State and Puducherry till Sunday. Heatwave conditions in the State may abate from Thursday. A cyclonic circulation over Tamil Nadu will put an end to the prolonged dry weather and heatwave that swept many parts of the State since April.
On Wednesday, several weather stations, which were recording sweltering heat, saw a marginal dip in temperature. The day temperature stayed above 40 degrees Celsius only in Erode, Madurai, and Karur. Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam in Chennai recorded slightly below normal temperatures of 35.4 degrees Celsius and 37.1 degrees Celsius respectively.
According to a bulletin, a spell of scattered rainfall of light to moderate intensity will cover a few places in the State till May 14. One or two places in eight to 10 districts, including the Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, and Salem, would receive heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. Heavy rain may cover south Tamil Nadu on May 11.
Thunderstorms, with gusty winds reaching a speed of up to 40 km per hour, may keep the temperature under control till the weekend. However, there is a chance for temperature to climb up to 41 degrees Celsius in a few places in interior Tamil Nadu and the day temperature may remain at 38-39 degrees Celsius in other parts of the State. The coastal region may experience a maximum temperature of 35-37 degrees Celsius till the weekend.
On Wednesday, Chennai received its first summer rain. However, it was a mild and short spell at Nungambakkam as well as Meenambakkam, with less than 1 mm recorded.
Kollidam (5.3 cm), Valparai (3 cm), and Coimbatore (2.4 cm) were among the many weather stations that received mild to moderate rain between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Places like Madurai, Coonoor, Chidambaram, and parts of Chennai also received light rain till Wednesday evening.
P. Senthamarai Kannan, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, RMC, said a trough/wind discontinuity running till south Karnataka would also influence wet weather over Tamil Nadu. The heatwave may subside in the State for five days.
Chennai may receive light to moderate rain in some areas in evening or night hours till Saturday. The ongoing wet spell may help to bridge the overall rain deficit in the State, which stood at 66% on Wednesday.
